Another Minato
by KingofZeroX
Summary: Minato Arisato wasn't expecting much out of life after it, ended for him. Then Nyx makes a deal with him. The result? A new planet, a flight gone bad, the worst bag of peanuts in existence, and now beautiful girls. Beautiful girls EVERYWHERE. Well, he isn't exactly complaining. He'll just participate in the Sekirei Plan for now. He's the Wild Card, after all.
1. First Wing: Minato vs The Prologue

**Another Minato**

* * *

**First Wing: Minato vs. The Prologue**

* * *

"**You have a choice. I will not force this upon you. It is a gift. You can choose to accept it or deny it."**

"What the hell kind of gift is this? Why me? Why now?"

**"It... You are a unique presence. Not everyone can keep Death inside themselves so easily for long periods of time. And your valiant effort... No, just being able to converse with you has strangely made my heart grow slightly fond of you humans. So, what I'm offering is a chance to change this world, to save it permanently. The Great Seal won't last forever. You and I both know that. If we wait any longer, the chance will pass. We must do it now, before the seal begins to deteriorate."**

"...Will I ever be able to come back?"

**"What is changed will never once again be the same. You will be changed by this forever. The result: This world that you know... will no longer be your home. You will not be welcome nor accepted. You won't be able to exist here. The closest you could ever get to being home is an alternative Earth. But it would not be the same."**

"I... see."

**"However, there are other worlds out there. Worlds that can accept you. You shall have plenty of time to explore them all."**

"What about you? What will you do? You're going to be alone... and vulnerable once more."

**"Do not worry for me. I have changed. I'm no longer as neutral as I once was. Mankind's end will not come by my hand. You humans are too fun to watch. I'll never be alone either. You and I... **

**We share an unbreakable bond."**

* * *

"Would you like some peanuts for your long flight, Ashikabi-sama?" The attendant asked him as she held out a small bag to him. His eyes snapped open. He'd been dreaming. He stood from the floor of his private room and wiped the non-existent dirt off his clothes. The attendant was at the door holding a bag of peanuts. He replied with a look that seemed to say 'What the hell is wrong with you?' as he crossed his arms in discontent.

"How the hell would I eat peanuts while in stasis? Through a tube? That's stupid! And I'm not your Ashikabi!" He said for what seemed to be the millionth time (actually he had said it 456,643 times). The attendant pouted cutely as she limply held out the bag of peanuts. He grabbed the peanuts with a sigh and ripped open the bag to pop a few peanuts in his mouth. Somehow peanuts seemed to be the one thing universally accepted as normal and grown on every habital planet.

"B-but... you are _the_ Ashikabi-sama. The only one we have..." She trailed off, reminding him of the reason he was doing it in the first place. He relaxed slightly.

"And that's why we're doing this, right? To get the children Ashikabi's of their own. Damn, why am I always the babysitter?" He loudly complained as he ran his hand through his hair.

"First, it was your plan. Second, you need to teach them how to act around men. Don't you remember what it was like when you first arrived?" He did. It had been a hellish paradise. Those words, although contradictory, did indeed describe it. A whole planet full of girls... without men... It was only after he arrived and convinced them, did they decide to split up and travel across the galaxy in search of action, adventure, mystery, and... _romance_.

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Man, why did I have to be stuck here on this planet of all things?" He lamented. The attendant patted him on the back.

"Cheer up, Ashikabi-sama. It's not all bad. You made friends, right?" He nodded. That part had actually been harder than he had imagined it would be. "You're special. Just go with the children, make sure they all find suitable partners, follow through with the plan, and come back. And remember: **Don't interfere with the plan unnecessarily.** But you have Miya travelling with you, so you should be fine. And you were instructed on what to do if something bad happened during the winging, right? It shouldn't be too hard. Especially for someone of your caliber." He looked at her with a hint of arrogance showing in his face.

"Of course. Like I was told numerous times, 'love cures everything'. I'm capable of it! Who the hell do you think I am?" He proclaimed confidently.

The attendant smiled. "Right! Now is there anything else you want?" She asked joyfully.

"Boobs." He deadpanned. What? He was a guy, after all. What else would he be thinking of in front of the increasingly attractive attendant in front of him? The attendant tilted her head curiously.

"Implants? Really, Ashikabi-sama? I thought you were proud to be a man." She said questioningly. He slammed his palm against his head. That ruined the mood that he for some reason thought had been happening.

"No... that's not what I meant. You know what... just forget about it. You actually made me want to go on this trip."

And with that he placed the half empty bag of peanuts on a shelf nearby, and went into his stasis pod, prepared to rock the universe.

But... unfortunately...

* * *

"[CODE RED. I REPEAT, CODE RED. IMMINENT COLLISION WITH DESTINATION. BRACE FOR IMPACT.]"

The computer was shouting out warnings as the alarms blared. The bag of peanuts flew around the room crazily. He tried to move, tried to free himself after having been put into stasis seemingly moments ago and now being abruptly awakened by the ship's computers.

Right as the stasis pod was opening.

PING!

It stuck. The pod didn't open anymore. At most, he could move his fingers. And his mouth. But he couldn't say anything because his mouth was filled with stasis gel. It was oxygenated and full of nutrients so he could breathe and even eat it (it was disgusting), but because the pod didn't open anymore...

He was stuck.

_'Damn it.'_ He thought to himself angrily. This was why he didn't want to be the babysitter! Shit like this happened!

What he didn't see was that the half-empty peanut bag had flown around the room and lodged itself in the locking mechanism. And his stuff was in the cargo chest that was part of his personal room... which was both locked and hidden because he didn't want to be bothered by anybody who woke up first (namely a certain girl named Miya).

So... Minato Arisato was stuck.

And after this event, he would slowly wiggle his fingers and bite through the gel.

Hoping... to get out.

For over a thousand years.

* * *

**Year 1**

* * *

CAPTAIN'S LOG: No progress. Lights went out on ship. Farted in stasis gel. Will be there for another six months. Horrible. Learned to talk with voices in my head proficiently. We started up a game of mental poker.

_[Who are you talking to?]_

_[Get back to the game, ya' bastard!]_

Ah, sorry Orpheus Telos and Thanatos. I'll be going all in.

I lost that poker game.

Decided to stop biting stasis gel until fart is removed. If this keeps happening, it will take a long time to get out.

At least _**it**_ is asleep.

* * *

**Year 100**

* * *

CAPTAIN'S LOG: Went insane. Was fun for awhile to have a conversation with someone outside the stasis tube. For some reason, it ended up being Ryoji. He seemed to think it would be a good idea to teach me about girls. I already knew about them. Being insane was boring. The paranoia and schizophrenia just starts to become dull after 50 years. Got rid of insanity to try something else. Playing house with Alice in my head is always fun. Of course, it ends with her telling me to 'Die For Me!', but that's only because I spill the tea. You should never spill the tea. Or else the queen will chop off your head.

* * *

**Year 250**

* * *

CAPTAIN'S LOG: Starting to wish I had girls in my head. Like, real adult girls that aren't part of me. It sounds crazy, but hey, been there, done that. Being crazy, I mean. Anyway, it feels like my entire life has been in this pod. I hate it. This is what really sucks about being me. I stopped aging at 24 after I struck a deal with a certain deity that, coincidentally, ended with me on that planet after my existence was rejected by my previous world. I won't tell this log the specifics because the only one that would read this is me. And I'm not even writing it down so I can't even read it. I'm just saying 'Captain's Log' and then saying what has happened to me. Sometimes I feel like this routine is the only thing keeping my fragile mind together.

Hey, me, you ever hear about tulpas?

_[Yes.]_

Messiah, I wasn't talking to you.

_[I'm sorry.]_

Nah, it's okay. You don't have to always turn the other cheek. Anyway, tulpas are thoughtforms that are purposefully created as companions. You imagine every single detail about them and impose them upon reality. It's actually a thing. Want to make one of Aigis? It won't exactly be her, but-

_[Hell yes!]_

You don't need to sound so pumped, Orpheus Telos.

* * *

**Year 251**

* * *

CAPTAIN'S LOG: It's been about one day since I destroyed the Aigis thoughtform that rampaged after trying so hard to be like the real Aigis.

_[Guess you can't recreate perfection.]_

Orpheus Telos, aren't you married?

_[...She's dead. And I'm just joking around. Although, Aigis is pretty metal.]_

Oho, nice pun. She is pretty metal. And you've been pretty expressive lately, haven't you?

_[Well, I am the closest to you. And aren't you still insane? I don't think you ever got over it.]_

Can't help it. It's like the Great Seal all over again.

_[Ew.]_

_[I hated that.]_

_[Don't ever mention it again.]_

_[Baka.]_

And, like usual, Alice goes straight to the insults. Love ya too, cutie.

_[B-ba-baka... I-It's not like I appreciate your c-compliments...]_

Tsundere?

* * *

**Year 568**

* * *

CAPTAIN'S LOG: Hey, guess what, Thanatos?

Boobs.

_[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!... Why am I laughing?]_

Because you know it's true.

_[Hmm. Indeed.]_

You want to imagine something else? An Oppai T-shirt.

_[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Who would even wear that?! Hahaha!]_

_[Uhm, what are you talking about?]_

Messiah, be quiet. You're too pure.

_[I'm sorry.]_

Don't be.

* * *

**Year 859**

* * *

_[STUPID PERSON'S LOG:My name is Minato and I'm really stupid. I'm also gay and fat and I like-]_

Susano-o, what are you doing?

_[Um, nothing. Just having a little fun. Helel put me up to it.]_

Helel? You mean the **angelic** form of Lucifer?

_[Damn. Should've said Thanatos.]_

Kohryu, smack the shit out of him.

**_[On it.]_**

* * *

**Year 999**

* * *

CAPTAIN'S LOG: Almost out. I think several more decades should do it.

_[Hey, remember that deal you made with Mother?]_

You mean Nyx, Thanatos? Why are you bring it up now?

_[Now that we're almost out... I've just been thinking, that's all... Why'd you do it? It was ridiculous. I can't believe you agreed to those terms.]_

...In the end, did I really have a choice?

_[Yes. You could have let them all just fucking die. You'd have been free then and could go on this fucking adventure afterwards.]_

That's not a choice, Thanatos.

* * *

**Year 1000**

* * *

CAPTAIN'S LOG: Lights came on. Been hearing shuffling about for a couple months. Apparently the ship was found. Not good. I have to stop them. That technology being used by them could only result in chaos. However, I'm still stuck. And they haven't found me yet.

Poopy.

_[Haha!]_

Really, Messiah? That's what you laugh at? How... juvenile. Anyway, I'm starting to struggle more vigorously. I should be able to get out in a few if I focus solely on escape.

_[You'll never do it. We're too fun!]_

Shut up... whoever you are. I don't feel like remembering your name right now.

_[It was... Susano-o.]_

Thanks, Norn.

Kohryu, slap his shit-eating grin.

**_[On__ it.]_**

_[I'VE AWAKENED FROM MY SLUMBER!]_

Odin, you really need to stop sleeping for a thousand years...

* * *

**21 Years Later (Year 1021)**

* * *

His footsteps clanged against the metal floor.

Minaka Hiroto was making another visit to Kamikura Island, the island he had found years before. It was here he had found the "birds" that were now his sole reason for existence. Some would say he was insane. Well, he was. But he was also rich and powerful due to the technology found on this island that ended up with him founding his own company known as Mid Bio Informatics, or MBI for short.

His purpose for visiting today was a strange feeling in his chest.

_'There's something else! I know there is! Something other than the Sekirei, other than the Jinki!'_

Of course, there was no guarantee he was right. However, he liked to think of himself as a character akin to the Joker from the American comic book hero Batman. While he was quite he mad, he was analytic and genius in the way he did things. Even if others saw him as a madman. His glasses and white hair that stood straight up didn't help his image either.

Minaka took the next right. He was going down the one corridor he always found suspicious. This would be his last chance to visit this island freely. Once the final conditions were set, it would be tantamount to suicide to step foot on the island. Already he felt his strength draining.

He reached his destination. He pushed his hands against the suspicious wall. Nothing. It was just a blank wall. There was no seam for a door, no secret switch. Did he really just waste his time. No, that couldn't be right! He pounded against the wall. It had to open! He didn't know why, but it had to open! Wait a second...! This door was defying him! How dare it threaten to ruin his dreams!

"Ew. Ew. Ew. Ew." Minaka quickly pressed his ear to the wall.

He had heard someone speaking.

"Now that gel's just nasty. Oh, wait. I'm free. Cool. I can go do stuff now. Like shower." Minaka smiled crazily. This was it! This was what he waiting for-

BOOOM!

The wall exploded, sending flames and one unfortunate Minaka Hiroto flying across the corridor and straight into a wall. Dazed, he stared into the smoke, hoping to see the person who caused the explosion. The voices of his subordinates were frantic in his ear-piece, but he pushed the button on his phone that gave them the 'A-Okay' signal. Nobody could disrupt their moment.

The figure walked out from the smoke as he holstered his gun. It was a man with long blue hair in a black suit. He wore a red armband that read 'S.E.E.S.' and had a holster with his gun in it strapped to his waist. His hair extended long past his back and hit the floor, as if he hadn't cut it in a long time. His eyes were obscured by his hair. The man raised his hair up slightly in order to see and spotted Minaka immediately. He raised his arm as if to wave, but then suddenly seemed to think of something. He held up a finger that said 'Wait just one minute'. He pulled an angelic sword from the sheath on his back which had been hidden by his hair. He then proceeded to grasp a handful of hair and cut his hair.

"W-what are you doing?" Minaka asked, perplexed. Was this person deciding now was a good time to get a haircut?

"I needed a haircut. I got tired of this long hair after I realized more hair does not, in fact, make you more powerful. Dragon Ball Z lied to me. Well, I guess I knew it lied, but trying it never hurt. I've been itching to do this for ages." He said as he continued to slice his hair. After ten minutes, he finished, revealing one gray eye to the world while the other was still obscured by hair.

"Who are you? Are you another Sekirei?" Minaka asked, excited by this sudden development. Another Sekirei? Is he another Sekirei, one that was special and different from the others? Minaka couldn't contain his excitement!

"Another what? I'm Minato Arisato. Do you have any people called Minato on this planet?" Minato asked.

Minaka nodded, thinking of the one in his life he wished to grow close to... as a father.

"Well, then think of me as just another Minato. Not a Sekigay or whatever." Minato said. _[__Sekigay? Really?]_ Orpheus Telos questioned with a groan. Well, Minato thought it was funny before he said it. Now that he realized what he said, he kind of regretted it. He'd never be a night club comic at this rate. [_I thought it was funny...]_ Thanatos begrudgingly threw in his opinion. [_Since when was making fun of homosexuals funny?] _Messiah chimed in.

"Um.. Okay! Well, Minato Arisato, I have many questions for you." Minaka said after faltering slightly.

"First, answer my question: Who are you and what do you plan to do with the technology of this ship? What have you done already?" Minaka pushed up his glasses as a small chuckle escaped his lips in response to Minato's questions.

"I'm Minaka Hiroto, founder of MBI. And it looks like an exchange of information is necessary. Come with me. I'll explain everything." Minaka motioned to follow him as he began to walk away. Minato briefly went back in to grab his suitcase which, thank to the advanced storage systems of the ship, was in perfect condition. He also ripped the bag of peanuts in half. And with that, he set off to a new adventure.

* * *

**Hours Later**

* * *

"Do you understand the current situation now?" Minaka asked the man seated across from him. They were in his office, high above the city of Tokyo. The sun was beginning to set. During the flight and the trip back to the office, Minaka and Minato had been exchanging information. Minato actually had grown to like Minaka a little. The guy was crazy in all the right ways. And Minaka seemed to enjoy talking to someone who could grasp his... eccentricities. Minato nodded, finally understanding what was going on.

The Sekirei, which he had just previously known as 'the children', were "adjusted" by these people to compete in a battle known as the 'Sekirei Plan'. It wasn't that far off from the original plan, but these people had gone to great lengths to do what he should have already done. Quite frankly, it was embarrassing. The plan was for Sekirei to find their Ashikabi, their one true love, and essentially battle it out to get the winner. Every Sekirei has their own specific power and classification. They are also given a card with a seemingly infinite amount of money and their needs are looked after. If something happens to their clothing, MBI will give them more. Overall, it was a better, more thought out plan the original idea. It even had them integrating into society (almost) perfectly. However, some Sekirei ended up being "winged", the process of forming a bond with an Ashikabi, early and to nobody. That was a big no-no. They couldn't get any Ashikabi if they became "scrapped".

"Yes," Minato said, nodding. They would give him the same 'infinite money' card and allow him to participate in the plan as well. He'd have to find his own Sekirei, though.

"Now, seeing as how you've already supplied me with such a large amount of information, I was wondering if there was anything you wanted. I am indeed in your debt." Minaka said happily as he clasped his hands together.

"Boobs." Minato deadpanned. Over a thousand years and he had not so much had touched a woman... Why did he now feel bad for the lady who had operated the helicopter him and Minaka had rode on? Was he looking at her _too_ much? Damn, he must've turned into a pervert. Oh well, a hundred years like this could be fun.

_[Dude... you're my hero.]_ Minato thanked Thanatos from the bottom of his heart._  
_

"Implants? It can be done." Minaka said, a little surprised by the request.

"No... not implants." Minato sighed as he rubbed his temples with his right hand. "Look... are there any scrapped numbers still alive that are free for the taking? I know how to fix 'em. Also, the location of the girl on that ship, Miya. I'd like that too." Minaka smiled brightly at this little piece of information. He could fix them? Oh, if only he'd had found such a person earlier!

"One has recently gotten free. I was thinking of sending a search party for her, but I'm sure you could find her faster. I'll have some of my people give you her suspected whereabouts. I will also have them give you Miya's address as well. She runs an inn. Are you hoping to converse with her, to reminisce about the 'old days'." Minaka asked, looking as if he'd just cracked a joke.

Minato shivered. "Hell no. I want to stay away from her as long as possible." Minato thought back to all the times she'd chase him around for breaking one rule or the other. If she found out he was still around, she'd hunt him down and drag him into the hellhole of order her place must be. She was always so focused on her duties to the point of forcing others to focus. And, from the last he saw of her, she was intent on making sure she could keep an eye on him. However...

She'd find him eventually.

She always did.

Minato walked out into the hallway where he was greeted by two aides. One handed him the location of Miya's inn. The other told him about the scrapped number. He gave Minato details of what she looked like and summed up what her current condition was.

Minato didn't need to be told what she was going through.

In a way... he could feel it, her pain and sorrow. Her attraction towards death, her want of it.

**_It_** was waking up, after all.

* * *

**One Hour Later**

* * *

The pale light of a nearby street lamp illuminated the figure of a young woman on a bench. She was the only one in the park. She had no clothes save for the doctor's coat draped over her shoulders. She was exhausted after running for so long and for so hard. As soon as she thought she was safe, she had fallen asleep. It couldn't have been more than 30 minutes, yet the sun had already set. She looked down upon herself, remembering the events of the day.

Akitsu was broken.

Alone.

Nothing to her name.

She didn't work.

She had no purpose.

Useless.

Garbage.

Trash.

She was nothing more than that.

Nobody would want her.

Nobody could want her.

Nobody could have her.

She was a Sekirei... that was broken.

And so Akitsu was curled up on the bench in the park in the cold night, wearing nothing more than a doctor's coat she had taken on the way out of MBI. Her short, light-brown hair fluttered in the cold wind. She let lose a melancholic sigh as she sat there, alone.

She thought of dying.

It would be so easy to just leave everything behind, to run away and embrace death...

Nobody would miss her...

She'd just be cleaned up in the morning, like any other piece of trash.

With this thought, she slowly closed her eyes, trying to decide on the most efficient way to end her life without bothering anybody. Her existence was now pointless. She didn't deserve life or happiness. That was what the ever-present crest on her head told her. The crest which said she was winged, even though she wasn't. The crest that was on her forehead when it should have been on the back of her neck. She was abnormal. She was "scrapped". She had run away from the scientist responsible for this "blunder" that made her this way. No. It wasn't possible it was the scientist's fault. It had to have been hers.

She was unlovable.

She was unforgivable.

To be unable to do the one thing which was her purpose in life...

How horrible she must be.

She must have always been meant to be trash.

"Well, well. She matches the description. Oh.. boy. Hey, are you okay?"

Akitsu opened her eyes to see a blue-haired man with a worried expression on his face. Akitsu mumbled something too quiet to be heard.

"Could you repeat that a little louder, nearly-naked-lady-in-the-park?"

"S-stay... away... I am just... trash... Broken..." She whispered at a barely audible level. Already she felt the ghosts of tears prick the corners of her eyes. Just saying it out loud hurt. She felt she would break even further if this man continued to look at her in this pitiful state. He was most likely already thinking of how best to dispose of trash like her. She welcomed it. She could escape her failure, her shame through death.

"Damn woman. Don't say such things. Here take this." The man threw a blanket over to her. She promptly covered herself without thinking. Her eyes widened in shock. She felt so... warm. The single blanket might as well had been the sun to her. Her powers revolved around ice. As such, she was used to the cold. It was nothing to her. But...

When was the last time she ever felt warm?

She hugged herself under the blanket. The man was muttering to himself a few feet away. She thought he had something along the lines of 'No, Thanatos, that's just not right', but it may have been her imagination. He turned his attention to her. He seemed to be sizing her up. Akitsu hid underneath the blanket for reasons she didn't fully understand. This man who had merely done her the simple kindness of giving her a blanket was already too bright of a presence for a failure like her to face. Then surprisingly, the man sat down beside her.

"It's an pretty good blanket. I went out and bought it for you, in case you were cold. I once knew somebody who used to sit at a bench in the park. He was a pretty lonely existence too... He didn't know why he was born. He didn't know why he was alive. He had grown to wish for death. But he changed. Even now... the last words he said to me... That he was happy to be born just because we could exchange words equally... I still remember them..." He trailed off, staring at something so unfathomably far off that it almost frightened Akitsu. He then seemed to go back to normal. " Oh. Sorry for rambling on about something like that. My name is Minato Arisato." He said as he stared straight ahead. Akitsu didn't know how to react to the man suddenly sitting so close to her. So... she didn't. He just continued to talk. "You know MBI was going to search for you? They're pretty nonchalant about it too. However, once I said 'I want her', they all seemed pretty obedient."

He... wanted her? Did this man... work for MBI? As if reading her mind, Minato continued, "Now don't get me wrong. I don't work for MBI. If anything, they're just helping me out. You see, I'm now apparently an unpredictable force in this Sekirei Plan that they couldn't see coming. I'm the Wild Card. I could do anything. Like piss in Minaka Hiroto's favorite potted plant. So..." He extended a hand to her.

"Number 7, Akitsu. Also known as a 'scrapped number'. How about you and I, who both don't really even belong in this plan for varying reasons, go piss in Minaka's plant together?"

"...Huh?" She froze. Her face was expressionless, like it always was, but for some reason she felt the barest hint of a smile touching down upon her cheeks.

Minato ran his hand through his hair.

"Let me clarify this for you. I want you to be my Sekirei. I need at least one. You'll be my first. I'll be your Ashikabi. And don't you dare spout any bullshit about it being impossible. I have the power to do the impossible."

And, for some reason, Akitsu believed him.

This man, this strange man, could do what others couldn't.

Akitsu's happiness didn't show on her face. Emotions rarely did. She simply nodded. And said a single word.

"Okay."

Then the powerful ice Sekirei joined the mysterious man. And this was the start of the rise of the 'Wild Card' of Sekirei Plan.

* * *

**And in Minato's head**

* * *

_[What do we want?]_

_[[BOOBS!]]_

_[[When do we want it?]]_

_[[NOW!]]_

No, Thanatos, that's just not right. Odin, and Susano-o... you stop it too.

_[Whose do we want?]_

_[[AKITSU'S!]]_

Guys, she's a poor girl that feels abandoned. I mean yeah, she has big boobs, but... Ah what the hell. You guys are me and I am you, after all! BOOBS!

_[Kohryu, smash his internal shit brain.]_

_**[On it.]**_

No, Alice! You've betrayed me!

* * *

Meanwhile, Minato Sahashi began to pack his bags. He'd be going to Tokyo for school soon. He couldn't wait! Education, career opportunities, his family, and a girlfriend was everything he'd find in Tokyo! ...Yeah right. He was always such a pushover. He had already failed the test once before. Afterwards, he went back to his hometown to study even harder. Now he'd be staying in Tokyo after this. He would not return home a failure again!

There was no way things would go his way.

However, he had no idea what would happen in Tokyo.

Maybe... maybe he'd make some good friends.

"I wonder if there's anybody else named Minato in Tokyo? I've never really been in a big city like it before. I mean, I went there once, but it was only for a week so I don't know exactly. I guess it's possible." He said aloud.

It would be funny if he ended up getting to know somebody who shared his name. It wasn't the most common name, after all.

* * *

**NEXT: Second Wing: Minato Versus the Self-Proclaimed Slave**

* * *

**A/N:** I've been pretty absent lately, haven't I? I'm sorry for the lack of updates on my other stories. I need to focus on school for the time being. Once summer hits, you'll be seeing a ton of updates. I have M1N470 and The Error nearly ready for updates right now. And I'm having Minato talk with his Personae in this, though it won't be too often. I'll just use them when it's funny.

What were the terms of the deal Minato made with Nyx?

What is _**it**_?

These questions and more will be answered far in the future.

Oh and Minato apparently Social Linked Nyx. I'd say she's the Universe Arcana... Hahahaha.

Now, I hope you guys liked this prologue. It was a rather short 5000+ words, but chapters will get longer as time goes on. And this is the second Persona x Sekirei crossover on the sight. And, as far as I know, the only one going on right now.

**Current Persona List:**

**Helel**

**Orpheus Telos**

**Thanatos**

**Messiah**

**Alice**

**Odin**

**Susano-o**

**Norn**

**Kohryu**

**UPDATE: Mara**

**UPDATE: Satan**

**UPDATE: Surt**

**UPDATE: And, with that, I've finalized the list. I chose the last three for the interactions with other Personae. Thank you, reviewers, for giving me the ideas!**

**Question of the Chapter:** Who do you want to see join as Minato's Sekirei next?

**REVIEW, FAVORITE FOLLOW! **Pretty please with a bag of peanuts on top?


	2. Second Wing

**Second Wing: Minato vs. The Self-Proclaimed Slave**

**A/N: Listen to watch?v=-Mh8WK5WtDw while you read the chapter. Just copy and paste it into google. This is the theme song for the beginning of the chapter. It should be the first video to pop up. I went through a lot of song choices, but this one really seemed to match the mood I was aiming for the best. Also, on a side note, I'm updating this, then the Error, then the Empty Sea, then CSM, then M1N470. Got it?**

* * *

"Welcome... to the Dark Room."

Everything was... weird...

The Aria of the Soul that used to greet Minato was in reverse.

He wasn't in the Velvet Room either. He hadn't dreamed of anything in over a thousand years.

He'd taken Akitsu to a hotel (he told anybody who asked that she was newly reformed nudist and was in the process of learning about the error of public streaking. How he got away with that he'll never know), ordered her clothes from MBI and then went to sleep in one of the two beds in the penthouse suite he got courtesy of MBI. He even had his luggage delivered there as well.

But now... the world was green once more. He was on the roof of Tartarus once more, a place he hadn't been in so long it seemed unreal. The swirling clouds in the sky, the green moon, the pillars decorating the edges of the roof. It was impossible. Tartarus had been erased from existence. Was this a nightmare? Minato looked out over the edge of Tartarus. There was absolutely nothing. Nothingness supported this dream tower. Strangely, there was a single throne made out of some sort of unearthly purple material in the center of the roof. Shadowy material seemed to be pouring out of the back and sides out of it. There was a small plastic chair facing the throne. Wow. Somebody was cheap. Minato was _not _going to sit there.

There was a person, an alien-like being, seated there in that throne, smiling smugly.

The way her skin was seemingly dyed purple, her eyes pointed, and her blond hair stood towards the sky with an odd sort of crown twirling around it accentuated her unearthliness. She wore a long, flowing black robe with a deep v-cut that cut straight down to her belly button and purple fur adorned the collar and cuffs. She also wore red heels for shoes. Just sitting there, she seemed so regal... Like a goddess. Which, well, she kind of was.

This was Nyx, the primordial deity of the Night and the mother of multiple gods, in her most human-like form.

Standing beside her, dressed in all black with a long yellow scarf was...

"Ryoji?!"

The human incarnation of Thanatos himself who had been born out of Minato's consciousness. Ryoji lifted a hand in greeting.

"Yo. Mom said you could come over and play in the Dark Room," Ryoji said with a smile. Minato's eyes narrowed.

"Dark Room? Really? Can't you come up with anything better?" He asked mockingly. Ryoji shifted uncomfortable before responding.

"We'll... take your concern into consideration. The room is currently under construction, after all," He said with a now strained smile. Under his breath he added,"Well, _I_ thought it was cool."

"So who is in danger of dying today? What planet do I need to save? Did you get into a lawsuit and need my persuading expertise? C'mon, get the bad news out of the way first," Minato said with an air of boredom. Nyx laughed.

"No, we're not here with any bad news. I said we have an unbreakable bond, so now I'm visiting you. I had to deal with over a thousand's year worth of paperwork after you accepted that gift. The other gods were saying that 'You can't do this' or 'You can't do that'." She said that last part in a rather hilarious imitation of some deep, manly voices. "Well, fuck 'em. I did it and I'll deal with the consequences! Just because Izanagi went out to cause a little bit of havoc everybody's on edge. And they've been on edge for over a thousand years!" Nyx exclaimed to the sky. _'Like mother like son.'_ Minato thought to himself with a smile. Or maybe their large amount of exposure to him just meant he rubbed off on them. Either way, they were an energetic bunch.

"Yeah... Sorry about that. So... why did you call me here exactly?" Minato asked, still curious about everything. Ryoji decided to answer.

"First, it's a place to relax after the stressful days you'll be having. And second... Well, Mom got off work and she wanted to pop in and replace those Velvet Room guys. Because of the gift, you can't so much as see them anymore, right? You completely invalidated their contract. Mom set up a quick recreation of Tartarus' roof, ripped the music from that Velvet Room off, reversed it to avoid lawsuits from said Velvet Room Denizens, and is now trying to get the Compendium under the claim that it is filled with your belongings. There are a few other belongings of yours we're still trying to retrieve... and repair." The way Ryoji added that last part with a wink made Minato curious, but Nyx quickly gave him the evil eye and shut him up.

"It's a surprise. Anyway, the point is that-"

"We're bored. Or, rather, she's bored. Half the time, I've been replacing your Thanatos Persona. I was sealed in you once, so it is remarkably easy to go back in. Especially with _**it**_ there." Ryoji said. _'Oho, looks like the evil eye doesn't work as well as you thought, Nyx.' _Minato thought slyly. It was pretty cool that Ryoji was in there. He kind of wished he knew it earlier, though.

"Son, I will put the hurt on you so hard..." Nyx said as a ghastly aura started to emanate from her. Ryoji shirked back.

"G-got it, Mother." Nyx nodded.

"Good. Anyway, I'll set up something like a door later. Then I'll go back to teach those impudent gods not to mess with a mother." Nyx said with an evil smile. Although she was more set on protecting humanity, she had an intense dislike for people who messed with her too much. Minato constantly feared pissing her off too much. Thus, when they had chatted while he was in the Great Seal, he tried to be respectful until they reached a point in time where they could open up to one another.

"Oh, and this is where the dream ends. Just feel I should tell you; those Velvet Room people never gave you any warning, right? You won't dream of us too often. You're a big shot Ashikabi. That means you have to dream about girls," Ryoji said these words as he gave a small wave and a sly wink.

And with a flash, the dream ended abruptly.

* * *

The birds were chirping, the sunlight gently warmed his face. His eyelids fluttered, as if he had just been waking up from a strange dream. Which, technically, Minato had. He was in his large bed in his penthouse suite (courtesy of MBI, of course)

It was at this point in time that Minato noticed something odd attached to his right arm. A soft sensation around his forearm and a cute looking head on his shoulder, eyes wide open. He felt her warmth... Akitsu had snuck into his bed at night and she watched him sleep. Well, there were worst things than having a cute girl watching you sleep.

_[Hey! This girl is like Aigis!] _Orpheus Telos exclaimed happily. Apparently, he was the only one awake right now. Minato thanked his lucky stars for it.

Luckily, this girl had a t-shirt on that he had in his suitcase, but that was it... Did she really have nothing else on? Didn't he give her pajamas too? There was no way he gave her just a shirt. Was she an exhibitionist of sorts?

_[Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude. I leave you for six seconds, literally six seconds, and this happens?!] _Ryoji was taking over as Thanatos. Oh, Ryoji was there. There goes Minato's peaceful morning.

"Hello, Akitsu. Would you mind telling me why you are in my bed?" Minato asked calmly.

"Ah...You were cold, Master." She said after staring at him for a long time. _'She is so lying.' _Minato thought to himself. This girl was lonely. So very, very lonely. It was because he knew this that he couldn't quite enjoy the feeling on his arm or the way she called him 'Master' (It was so cute!). However, she seemed to think of herself as his slave. That was no good. He'd never make her wingable if she only thought like that. Regrettably, he had to make her stop calling him Master.

_[Aww... Do you have to?] _Minato completely ignored Thanatos/Ryoji and Orpheus Telos' comments.

"Please don't call me 'Master', Akitsu. You're not my slave." Minato replied dryly as he began to sit up. Akitsu moved off the bed and stood. She bowed.

"Ah... As you wish, Master." She completely ignored everything Minato said. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but...

This was going to be hard.

"Stop calling me Master."

"...Of course, Master."

"Call me Minato."

"...Yes, Master Minato."

Minato slammed his palm into his face. He was getting nowhere fast. Sekirei's powers were based off their feelings. In fact, emotions were deeply intertwined with everything about a Sekirei. Thus, the only way he can ever get Akitsu to be winged would be by making her feel like she isn't broken or some slave. Given how she was acting, this was likely the cause. He needed her to feel pure love, not devotion. If he had Social Links to guide him like in the past, this would be a cakewalk, but now it would be a battle.

Minato needed to make this girl fall in love with him as an equal.

He stood from his bed and stretched. He looked towards Akitsu, who was looking at him expectantly. She was the type to not speak unless spoken too. In fact, in her current state, he doubted she would respond to anyone except him. Well, maybe other Sekirei, but, once again, he doubted it.

And she still needed clothing.

When a knock on the door came, Minato was relieved to finally get a box with her clothes in it. It was just a black and white robe. Akitsu seemed dissatisfied with it, though. She stared at it strangely before slowly putting it on. Of course, Minato being the gentleman he is, turned the other way. Minato shook his head and motioned for her to follow him when she was done. They were going out shopping... and to look for a more permanent residence. Hotels, even penthouses, tend to suck. There's way too many people present (and tons of annoying kids).

_[Sheesh. You get a Sekirei who proclaims herself to be your slave and what do you do? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You're the worst pervert ever. Have you no balls?]_

_'Shut up, Mara. There's no way I'm as ballsy as you.'_

_[Touché]_

Mara finally woke up. That Persona was lazy, but quick to jump awake when it came to anything related to girls. Minato was lucky that he hadn't woken up earlier. In fact, most of his Personae seemed perverted... If they were all facets of him... Well, then it made sense. He had a healthy interest in girls, of course.

"Hey, Akitsu... before we leave... can I try something?" Minato asked as he stood at the door and turned his head to face her.

Akitsu nodded.

He went and grabbed her boob. It was soft, like a marshmallow.

Akitsu tilted her head in confusion, confused by his sudden interest in grabbing her body parts. Minato let go and walked away. Akitsu followed him.

_[[[[BOOBS!]]]]_

That woke up his male Personae, but it felt so meaningless.

What use were boobs without love, without soul?! It was like grabbing a pillow and imagining it was a girl! Pointless! In her current state, she didn't even get embarrassed! He needed to begin Operation: Make Akitsu Wingable immediately!

_[...Might I suggest a better name?]_

_'Hellel! You woke up too? Well, just go and play cards with Messiah. I think the name is fine. Satan can join you too!'_

_[You're... sure that's a good idea? Fine. We shall play a game.]_

The wrongness of what he said hit him five minutes later, but by then he didn't care. Oh, and Messiah won. Despite how pure he was, he was vicious in poker.

"Hey, Akitsu? You have ice powers, right?" Minato said as he walked down the stairs of the hotel. Elevators were for pussies! Stairs were for real men! That's what his old friend Akihiko taught him, at least.

"...Yes."

"So you could use, like, Ice Beam, right?"

"...Ice...Beam?"

"Yeah. A beam of ice that can freeze your opponent. You don't have that?"

"..."

"We'll practice it as soon as we can, okay?"

With all their different types and powers, sometimes it helped Minato to think of Sekirei as Pokemon.

Except they had boobs. Unless they were guys, of course.

* * *

"Akitsu, we are going to go buy stuff. As a reward for becoming my currently unofficial Sekirei, you may choose a present," said Minato as he was walking down the street. There were people milling about, busy with their ordinary lives. Occasionally, he'd see oddly dressed and extremely beautiful people walking hand-in-hand with ordinary people. There were already plenty of Ashikabis that had Sekirei. Luckily, none of them had the gall to attack him in the middle of the street. When Akitsu didn't respond, he turned around to see if she was still there.

She wasn't. She was at a store fifty feet back, holding his suitcase that had his belongings in it. She had insisted on carrying it and would not take no for an answer. Minato walked back to see what she was staring at so intently.

It was a large store with the words "Hardware Heaven" on the front. Akitsu was looking at long, shiny chains. They seemed strong enough to be used as a weapon if necessary. Did she want a weapon? He tapped on her shoulders. She looked at him, her eyes wide, and then shook her head as if taking off some sort of spell. She moved away from the chains and walked towards him. Apparently, she still felt so unworthy... She didn't think he'd buy it for her. She didn't think she deserved it. Minato sighed with a smile on his face.

_'Silly Akitsu.'_

He grabbed her by her free hand and pulled her into the store. The stares they got from the customers inside were... discouraging, but it didn't stop him. Minato pulled Akitsu straight to one of the employees. It was a surprised looking teen. Probably was working there to pay for college. Minato remembered when he thought of entering college. He was glad he didn't have to anymore. He had an unlimited money card from MBI, after all.

"My good man, I desire a chain. We want the one in the window," He said with a smirk. Akitsu's eyes widened and the grip she had on his hand tightened immensely. Love Point +1! He was making progress!

She was really excited, wasn't she? Well, who wouldn't be excited to get a new weapon?

Then Akitsu lifted up the chain and began to strap it to parts of her clothing.

* * *

Miya Asama was out shopping. It was a beautiful day and an absolute shame that the Sekirei Plan would be starting soon. These peaceful days of doing nothing would not last long. She would have to watch as the city burned. She was walking out of the grocery store with these thoughts plaguing her mind. If only her husband, Takehito, were still around...

"IT'S A BOOB CHAIN?!" A loud voice boomed throughout the shopping district.

Miya's eyes widened.

"No... it can't be... After all this time?" Miya started to sprint towards the direction of the voice, her long purple hair flowing behind her. She knew who that was! Where was he all this time?! Why did he leave her alone?!

Why was he ignoring his duties?!

_'Minato Arisato, is that really you?'_

* * *

Minato couldn't believe what he was seeing. Akitsu made the chain into some sort of weird collar-bondage-chain that wrapped around and through her boobs. Hence, it was a boob chain. Minato was starting to get the feeling that Akitsu really was just into that whole 'Slave and Master' relationship rather than her being feeling unable to be loved. Wait a second...

_[Yeah... her clothing didn't come with a bra, did it? I was watching them bad boys bounce the entire time.]_

_'...Observant as always, Thanatos.'_ Minato mentally replied awkwardly. You know your life has something wrong with it when the inside of your own head gets awkward.

_[B-baka Than-Than! I thought you said I was the only one! Kohryu!]_

**_[On it.]_**

_'And there goes the Alice and Kohryu duo. Why are they such good friends anyway? And was Thanatos really hitting on Alice? Is there a misunderstanding? What's going on in my head?! WHY DON'T I KNOW ANYMORE?!'_

Minato snapped back to reality to find Akitsu looking at him expectantly. Oh, right. She was a girl. Of course she would want his input on new clothing or accessories. Although, the fact that the chain was what she wanted commented on weirded him out.

"...You look... beautiful as always, Akitsu." He said with a smile. She lowered her eyes to the ground, a faint smile forming on her lips. Aw, she was (slightly) embarrassed! Love point +1! Man, he was so suave. Now he was beginning to get her real affection rather than devotion. Of course, this 'Conquest' would require at least a few days, but progress was good. The best part is that he can go through this quickly with a Sekirei as long as nothing interferes. Aigis, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Fuuka took much longer in comparison. In fact, Social Links in general take longer.

_'What an obsolete system...' _He thought to himself. Whoever decided he could only level them up one level at once?! Life doesn't typically work like that. There are shortcuts to get closer to people. Especially members of the opposite all of a sudden, Akitsu's smile turned into a frown.

"Ah... Master Minato... I will work harder as your... loyal slave, your property, to pay you back for all your kindness." Akitsu bowed deeply, showing her willingness to work for him. Minato slapped his face. Hard. He may have made two steps forward, but that declaration took him three steps back. Minato placed his hand on her shoulder and began to speak.

"Akitsu, you don't need t-"

"MINATO ARISATO, I'VE FOUND YOU!" Minato froze up at that sudden shout. He knew who that was... Why wasn't he running? Why wasn't he running?!

An "Oof!" escaped his lips as he was tackled from behind. He fell face-first into the dirty street. Wonderful. Could he not stay clean? First there was the gel, now dirt from the street. He felt an oddly familiar weight on his back. Familiar as in this person would often do this shortly before scolding him for running away after he was caught in some sort of misunderstanding.

"Crap. H-Hi, Miya. G-guess who just woke up from an over one thousand year slumber?" Minato said with a forced smile.

Akitsu tilted her head. Unsure of whether or not to attack this person that Minato greeted. He knew her, but was she an enemy? It was at this time that Miya got off of Minato and pulled him to his feet. She dusted him off while he remained perfectly still, frozen in fear. A woman's wrath is not something to be tested no matter how powerful you may be. Akitsu continued to watch this strange woman, ready to attack her if Minato gave her the word.

"Minato Arisato, you slept in late again. I missed you," She said with an otherworldly smile. Minato had never seen her make such a smile. She must have been through a lot while he was asleep. She still called him by his full name. When they first met, he had jokingly stated that she must call him by his full name in order to get his attention. That's what his mother used to do before she... passed away. Miya didn't get the fact that he was calling her his 'mom', or didn't care, and then began to always call him by his full name every time they met. Which, unfortunately for Minato, was quite often.

_'That's right... she was all alone. She must have been awakened by MBI long before I broke out. What was it... twenty one years? She doesn't look a day older. I guess the stories are true. Pillars really are different from Sekirei and humans. Oh, wait. If she isn't angry at me... and she runs an inn... It's suicide, but I can at least be myself and do what I want without worrying too much about what the management might think. I could also get some training in. A thousand years in stasis gel can really stiffen the body.' _Minato internally monologued as he stared at Miya. When he snapped back to reality he noticed she was shifting uncomfortably, if only slightly. Man, he really needed to get outside of his head more.

"Miya, can I stay at your place? You run an inn, right?" The second Minato said that he instantly regretted it, but the smile that grew brighter on Miya's face convinced him this was somehow the right thing to do. As long as she didn't find out he was participating in the Sekirei Plan he'd be fi-

Oh. That's right. It was against the rules for him to enter the plan. That's what they told him before he left. Well, there was no way she'd remember, right? But if she did...

_[Yer gonna burn, boy. It'll be fun to watch.]_

_'Let's hope you're wrong, Surt.'_

"Of course. Who is your friend?" She asked pleasantly. Minato tried to think of an appropriate answer that wouldn't cause Akitsu's Love Points to drop. Lover? Friend? Ah, that's right! She's his Partner! However, the Sekirei crest displayed proudly on Akitsu's forehead meant that Miya must've already figured out...

"I am Master Minato's property, his loyal slave till death, Number 7, Akitsu." Akitsu responds robotically. Well, it seems like she can respond when asked who she is, but... Why did she have to respond like that?! Was she proud to be his property or something?! That's not right!

"Ak-akitsu, let's get g-going now. H-haha. She's always such a kidder," Minato tried to laugh it off as he grabbed Akitsu by her shoulders and began to push her away. Akitsu didn't resist. However, he suddenly felt a dark aura from behind. Miya never had this kind of thing before! He turned around to face the monstrosity that was Miya's wrath.

"Minato Arisato~, let's chat for a bit," Miya said in a sickeningly sweet voice as she pulled him by his forearm.

Minato gulped.

* * *

"Welcome to the Izumo Inn! The landlady is out shopping right now, so please come back la-" The brown-haired woman at the front seemed to notice the trio there. "Oh, Miya! Welcome back. Who are your friends?" Miya smiled serenely. She motioned to Akitsu and the now depressed-looking Minato who had his hands in his pockets. Akitsu still would not give up on holding his luggage. Even when Miya asked her, Akitsu just stared her down coldly. That won the girl some respect in Miya's eyes and gave Minato more contempt.

"An idiot and an innocent girl. They'll be staying with us for the time being," Miya replied happily as she walked in. Minato was holding her groceries. He walked in and handed them to Miya, figuring she'd know where they go. She took them and went off to where the kitchen was. Minato looked around. The inn itself was completely Japanese in nature and had two floors. He was surprised inn's like this still existed. Nearly everything in Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island was westernized. So, seeing as those where the last places he had ever been in when he was last on an 'Earth', he was pleasantly surprised. The woman that had greeted them came up to him.

"My name's Uzume. What's yours, you handsome Ashikabi?" She said cheerfully as she extended her hand to him. Why was everyone so damn happy? He was a prisoner here! As long as Miya was the landlady, he had to stay here! Well, he could try to fight her, in fact part of him was itching to do just that right now, but in a place where Ashikabis are typically known as weak, it would be best to wait to show his strength. He grabbed her hand and shook it once. He looked into her eyes calmly. She knew he was (sort of) an Ashikabi if only by the fact that Akitsu was freaking showing off her Sekirei crest to the whole world! This girl in front of him was probably a Sekirei too. She was too... well-endowed to be an Ashikabi.

_[[[[G-CUP!]]]]_

_'Well, you guys don't have to sound so excited. Ah, who am I kidding? G-CUP, BROTHAS!'_

Strangely enough, Alice didn't order Kohryu to hurt him mentally. Nice.

"I'm Minato Arisato. This person with me is my friend Akitsu. She's not winged yet, but we're working on that. As for you, I hope you can get along with Akitsu as fellow Sekirei. She's not very social," Minato said, truthfully hoping the two would get along. If Akitsu could learn from some other Sekirei how to be more like a woman and less like an object, to learn to love, he'd be able to wing her in no time!

"...Friend?" Akitsu eye's softened. A deep melancholy seemed to enter them, yet joy was also there. She shuffled a little bit closer to Minato. Minato nodded slightly, as if approving of the action. Another faint smile seemed to touch upon Akitsu's lips.

"Sure! We'll be the best of friends!" Uzume said as she hugged Akitsu. The fact that he recognized she was a Sekirei didn't faze her. However, in Akitsu's eyes, which were still aimed towards Minato, he thought he saw a flash of something. That something said 'Help me, Master Minato.' Minato ignored it. Akitsu needed some friends. It wouldn't be right if she always hung around him.

At this point, Miya came back in. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Uzume who appeared to be now groping Akitsu. Akitsu, who was on the verge of using her powers to freeze Uzume, breathed a sigh of relief.

"May I remind you that no lewd acts are allowed in the Izumo Inn." Uzume jumped back, an embarrased smile on her face.

Miya had just said the right thing to rile up the male Personae in Minato.

_[[[[BURN THE WITCH!]]]]_

_[Guys, that's not nice.]_

_'Messiah, you wouldn't understand their raging hearts. Go play with Alice.'_

Miya turned to Minato. "No lewd acts at all. Absolutely none. Understand?" Minato nodded, but planned to not listen to her and ignore her rules as soon as possible. He wanted to be kicked out. "Now follow me to your rooms," She said motioned towards Akitsu and Minato. As soon as Minato moved, Akitsu followed. Minato sighed. This was going to be a long journey.

As Minato walked up the stairs to the second floor, he made sure to note the hidden cameras in the Izumo Inn. In the past, he had discovered hidden cameras in his room at the dorms. As such, he made it a little hobby to always look for hidden cameras. He hated being watched. The question of this matter was who was watching him? Miya would never use hidden cameras. She'd rather speak to somebody face-to-face. Uzume seemed honest and cheerful. Thus, it had to be somebody else using the cameras.

The question was: Who?

Miya obviously knew about the cameras. It was her inn, after all. So it must be something she allowed. Knowing Miya, somebody must be using them for a good purpose. A security guard? For Miya? No way. Miya's more of the security guard type. They must then be here as a defense for someone whom Miya can't protect all the time. Someone who has to worry about being found out. Given the circumstances, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say Miya was harboring a fugitive and, with this being the location, the only major threat to hide from would be MBI as they virtually control the city. However, they stay away from Miya's inn, making it a safe haven for any fugitive of MBI. Minato had almost solved it. Now he needed to know if it was a Sekirei that was hiding or an ordinary person. He loved puzzles.

"These are your rooms." She showed them to two adjacent rooms. Minato thanked her and entered his new room. Akitsu once again followed him. Minato promptly took his sword out of his suitcase and stabbed the hidden camera in his room.

He hated being watched.

* * *

Matsu giggled joyfully as her camera was destroyed.

"It looks like we finally got some interesting guests."

* * *

Minato decided to go walk around Tokyo with Akitsu. At the very least, he could find a fight with some other Ashikabi. Miya let him leave as long as he made sure he left his suitcase and other belongings as collateral. He kept his sword hidden in one of those baseball bat bags that he saw anime and video game characters use. He had kept it in his suitcase all this time. He bought it in the hotel the previous day. Apparently, there were a lot in the gift shop of the hotel. Baseball was a growing sport, after all. His Evoker was in his jacket pocket.

Minato pushed his way through the crowded street. With so many people here today he might not be able to get a fight, but he could get another Sekirei. It would be best to get one officially winged so he would count in the Sekirei Plan until he could wing Akitsu.

"Akitsu, I don't think we'll be able to make you wingable for at least a few more days. So until then, let's go get another partner. A Sekirei to team up with you. You'd like that, right?" Minato asked the girl behind him. He barely heard her whisper "Yes."

Minato scanned the surrounding area for any free Sekirei. There were many that looked like they had Ashikabis but surely there was one that didn-

"Found one."

There was a dirty-looking woman on the side of the street with a sign that read "WILL FIGHT FOR LOVE AND FOOD." The person holding it had smudges of dirt on her face and short black hair with equally dark eyes. She wore a purple dress with a tight purple shirt that showed off her midriff. She also had dark purple sleeves that were not attached attached to the shirt at all and were fingerless. Above those sleeves were what appeared to be some sort of sheaths for throwing knives wrapped around her bicep. She had the number 72 tattooed on her left shoulder. She was like some sort of ninja. She smiled brightly at anybody that passed by her, but looked like a kicked puppy when they walked right on by. Minato had just found his first official Sekirei. And, despite the dirt, she was also pretty hot.

_[A wise choice. I like your taste in Valkyries, young one.]_

_'Odin... just go fight with Surt please. Isn't that what you typically do? Besides, someone as old as you can't possibly be thinking of a gi-'_

_[I'M NOT OLD! I'M RIPE!]_

He walked over to her after giving up what would surely be a true mental battle. She smiled brightly from her spot on the street.

"I'LL FIGHT FOR LOVE AND FOOD!" She shouted in his face. He was blown back a bit. What a voice! Man, she was extremely loud for a girl that looked like a ninja! Akitsu didn't seemed fazed at all. Minato knelt down so he could look her in the eyes. She looked back at him with eyes full of hope.

"My name is Minato Arisato. I wish to take you up on your offer. Come with me," He said as he extended his hand. How many times would he have to do this today?

The Sekirei enthusiastically took his hand. "I'm Number 72, Natsu! I'm the strongest ninja in the East!" She then pulled in closely to kiss him. He put his hand over his mouth, denying her the winging. It wouldn't be good to wing her right now. She barely knew him. Besides, she didn't even seem to exhibit the signs of a Sekirei that chose her Ashikabi. She was just desperate. She'd be weak if her feelings were that shallow. Minato was the type of person that didn't like to rush into relationships. He'd like to get to know the girl first. He began to walk away.

"Follow me. That over there is my good friend Akitsu. I won't wing you yet. Let's get to know each other first." He said as he turned his head over his shoulder to look at her. Natsu was disappointed, but she happily followed him.

"Good...friend?" Akitsu said, somewhat shocked. However, once again, she smiled faintly. Yet it seemed brighter than before...

"Where are we going?" Natsu asked cheerfully. She then tripped and fell face-first into the ground. Minato turned to help her up, but she got herself up well enough. Evidently, she was used to falling on her face. She appeared to be a clumsy ninja. He shrugged as he continued walking.

"We're going to McDonalds! The cure-all for hunger, good health, and poor people!" Minato internally laughed at the "good health" part. Mcdonald's was anything but healthy. However, they made food fast and to a starving Sekirei with an extremely fast metabolism that was all that mattered.

_[McDonald's is my kind of place, they feed you rattlesnakes~]_

_'Orpheus Telos, what are you doing?.'_

_[Pickles between your toes, french fries up your nose~!_

_'No. Stahp.'_

_[Last time I was there, they cooked my underwear! McDonald's is my kind of place!]_

_'Was that really necessary? And you don't even wear underwear!'_

_[I know...]_

* * *

"This so good! What do you call it?!"

"A cheeseburger."

"And this?!"

"Fries."

"So good~! I feel like I'm going to die!"

Minato sweat-dropped. She was a nice girl and he quite liked her, but he thought of what his team would be like once he winged her. The cool, calm Ashikabi, the equally cool Akitsu, and the hyperactive clumsy ninja, Natsu. She fell face-first at least five more times on their way to McDonald's. Good news was she had a hard head. It felt like he was watching "Naruto", the show where ninjas are typically anything but the classical definition of a ninja. Fortunately, Akitsu seemed closer to him. She seemed to hover around him protectively, glaring at the girl if she got too close to Minato. While this was good for her winging status, it was bad for future teamwork operations. If he wanted to... could he just wing Akitsu right now? With _**its**_ help, he could do it. It would be highly dangerous, though... He'd have to think about it a bit more.

"So... tell me about yourself, Natsu. How did you get into your current situation?" He asked the clumsy ninja. She scarfed down the current burger she was eating (it was her eighth) and began to speak.

"First MBI gave me a card and told me to go out and look for my Ashikabi. I, being the great ninja that I am, stole quietly away into the night, searching for a suitable partner. However, a grave error was made! My card which was issued to me by MBI flew out of my hand as I was jumping from roof to roof. I was so distracted that I landed onto the roof I was jumping to roughly and hit my head. With my vision swimming it was hard to search for the card, so I decided to sleep on the roof. The next day I searched the street for the card, but a hungry and foul beast had my card in its ghastly clutches! I then proceeded to chase the beast, but then it brought its friends. I was going to fight them, but I was overrun by their wild and crazy barking. It was at this point I realized these beasts were really dogs and were abandoned and afraid. I couldn't fight them at all! I fled from the situation, deciding to set up a stall like I had seen in magazines. I could find my Ashikabi and food if I simply put up a sign! It was ingenious! And surprisingly... successful." Natsu finished it with a seductive smile on her face. Her voice and demeanor instantly changed as her face began to redden.

"You know... ninjas are skilled in the art of seduction. Now that I can get a good look at you I see it. You're just my type, Mi... na... to." Natsu said as she leaned across the table and caressed Minato's face. She smelled like cherry blossoms. Up close she was quite pretty (after she cleaned the dirt off her face in the McDonald's bathroom).

_[Do something to her right now!]_

_'Shut up, Mara. I know.'_

"I see. One second you're an enthusiastic kid and the next a woman. Or, rather, ninja-kid and then ninja-adult. Well, that's cool." He reached his hand behind her head and pulled her closely into a kiss. Was he rushing things? Yes. However, he had managed to make her recognize him as her Ashikabi. That was all the permission he needed. Oh, and he was doing this in front of Akitsu to teach her that this was how a winging happened.

Large purple wings extended from Natsu's back as he felt the bond forming between the two of them. There was a warmth rushing from Minato to her as he felt his spiritual power, or SP, slowly lower. Being a Persona user meant that he had an extremely large amount of said points. The SP would be shared with the Sekirei he winged and make her more powerful while simultaneously lowering his total amount of available SP by 5. Considering he had 999 SP, it wasn't such a big deal. Anyway, the wings that had emerged from Natsu were ephemeral and could not be seen by anybody unless they were an Ashikabi or Sekirei. That was one bit of good news.

When they disconnected, Minato heard Natsu say something along the lines of "Forever and ever", but right now his main focus was Akitsu who had just witnessed the event. She was biting her lip. It was a barely noticeable sign on her otherwise calm face that she was irritated.

"Akitsu, the reason I showed this to you is to teach you a lesson. This is how winging takes place. When the time comes, I'll wing you too. I could do it right here, right now, but the result could lead to death or to you being completely different from how you are right now. Don't worry. I already think of you as my Sekirei." Minato said as he patted Akitsu's head. Her eyes closed like a kitten's. She was pleased with being patted on the head. How cute! Minato turned to Natsu to speak to her, but she looked like she was zoning out as she touched her fingers to her lips. Her face was extremely red.

"Fuwaaah~ So this is what it feels like~!" She was so happy it was scary. Minato cocked an eyebrow at her strange behavior.

"Didn't you say that ninjas are skilled in the art of seduction?" He asked skeptically.

"We~ll, I'm more like a ninja in training..." She said as she scratched the back of her head, embarrassed.

Minato smiled as he stared out the window. A ninja in training, a cold self-proclaimed slave, and an insane man with even more lunatics in his head. Was this the making of an ultimate team or the stupidest, most unpredictable team ever? Only time would tell.

Then he realized something.

His first winging was done at McDonald's. How... romantic...

Even more trouble would be awaiting Minato at the Izumo Inn when he returned. First, bringing another Sekirei back would only serve to frustrate Miya. And second... there were two more tenants that just arrived.

* * *

Ryoji worked to repair that which was broken. A thousand years was too long for anything. The amount of rust and pure destruction that faced this thing was ridiculous. However, Ryoji was also Death and the Harbinger of the Fall. If anybody could make this thing breath again, it would be him. He had as many Shadows as possible helping him transport and clean parts. Minato would be very surprised when he saw what Ryoji was fixing up for him.

The best part about this project was that the Plume of Dusk was something that came from Nyx originally. All he had to was ask his mother for a small favor.

"Aigis, this is me repaying you for all the harm I've done. I'm sorry. However, your primary function has still not been accomplished. I'm still around and Minato's still in danger. You chose to protect him, right? You can't be gone any longer."

And so he continued to toil. He needed to finish this project. It was more than just a present to Minato. It was a way of repenting for the mistakes of his past. It was a way of protecting Minato from that which was now sealed inside him. It was how he planned to protect Minato from _**it**_.

* * *

**Omake: Pokerei!**

* * *

Minato has encountered a wild Miya!

"Go, Akitsu!"

"Kitsu, kitsu!"

Akitsu uses Ice Beam!

It's not very effective.

Miya uses Slash!

Akitsu dies.

"GO, Natsu!"

"Nat, Nat!"

Natsu tries to use a move, but trips and lands on her face!

Natsu takes one damage.

Miya uses Slash!

Natsu dies.

Minato blacks ou-

"No, you don't!"

Miya drags Minato away to scold him!

It's super effective!

Miya attempts to turn Minato into an upstanding citizen of society!

Minato uses Ignore!

Miya gives up!... for now...

Minato goes back to his daily life, unaffected by the experience, after telling Natsu and Akitsu to stop playing dead.

* * *

**NEXT: Third Wing: Minato and Minato vs. Izumo Inn!**

* * *

Author's No-

**RYOJI'S NOTE: **Hey, guys! It's Ryoji! I'm taking over the author's note section for this chapter! If you want me to stay, please say so in a review! As for this chapter, man a lot of stuff happened here! The author tells me that Natsu and Akitsu's personalities will be highlighted and shown more over time. The author just wanted Minato to have an official 'first' Sekirei so he actually counts in the plan. Mr. Haziq suggested Natsu, so thank him everybody! We're working on introducing Sekirei that haven't had much of a spotlight. As such, Sahashi's Sekirei will not go to my pal Minato. As for all the Personae available, please look in the last chapter. You'll find that the list has been updated.

**REVIEW REPLY TIME! (I hate how we have to be picky with which ones we reply to!):**

**NoThoughtWriter: **Mara has been added, my good man. And with all the suggestions to have Karasuba (as well as the author's own preferences and plans) guess who will become Minato's Sekirei eventually! I'll give you a hint. It starts with Karasu and ends with ba.

**Twin Judge of Gemini: **Insanity is apparently really fun (although it soon gets boring) according to Minato. You should really try it some time. As for gaining Personae from girls... the author will think about it.

**SoulBlack:** You don't need an omake about them! They both appear together next chapter! The author would like to add that he does plan an omake with the two of them as well. :) Bet you can't wait, right? Oh and the errors have been fixed!

**A Jack Frost Guy: **Kohryu is submissive to Minato because he is his Persona. Also, if you look at the mythology behind it you'll find that he was of the 'Void element' in Japanese culture and thus was often forgotten because of the culture. He's grateful Minato remembers him. Alice, well, it's either be friends or 'DIE FOR ME!' I never got along with her. And I'm DEATH! Oh, and we all know Odin is an old pervert. An old, powerful pervert.

**SuperNova23: **Me and the author both laughed when we read your review. I kind of want the author to make a Brady Bunch omake thing now!

**ebo372:** Thanks for the list! We're looking at it right now!

To close off this section (sorry it's so short! The author really does read all your reviews), I feel the need to clarify something. Miya cannot be winged. She is a Pillar and not a Sekirei. If the canon shows she can be winged, then Minato will wing her. But it hasn't... at least not yet. Also, Yahan and a few others are being looked at as possible Sekirei for Minato.

Anyway, the main reason I'm doing this is because we at the Dark Room (name under construction) need a new name (although I think Dark Room sounds badass). Instead of a Question of the Chapter, it's the ...

**Choice of the Chapter: What do you want the new room to be called?**

**1: Dark Room**

**2:Twilight Room**

**3: Room of the Void**

**4: Nocturnal Room**

**5: Room of Dark Moon**

Please leave your answer in your review. Now, finally...

**REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW! **Pretty please with... um... me on top?

KingofZeroX: Oh be quiet, Ryoji. You know the girls love you.

Yay!


	3. Third Wing

**Third Wing: Minato and Minato vs. Izumo House**

**UPDATE: Redid some Miya stuff.**

* * *

"You know... before I met you, I was scared. I was alone in the dark with no help, nobody to back me up, every single night. I lied when I said it had only been a day I had been out there. Although... I don't think I'll ever tell you what really happened before we met. You would probably worry for me... or worse: hate me. So I will make sure you never find out about this horrible part of me and my past! I want you to see the strong, vibrant me that looks forward to the future! After all, you wouldn't even want to see what I really am... I'll learn from you and change to be more like you, to be more like the woman you deserve. You, the kind, charming and handsome savior who came to me in my time of need, are the only one I will ever love and... the only light for one like me who fights in the dark. The knives of my pledge will assassinate the enemies of my Ashikabi."

* * *

"Minato, you did it!" The bust, brown-haired Musubi hugged him from behind. The man, Minato Sahashi, blushed up as he moved his face away from her.

"Uh, I did what?!" He said in a hurry, hoping to get out of this embarrassing (and tempting) situation.

"You found us a home!" She hugged him tighter.

Miya was sitting with her tenants Homura and Uzume at the dinner table. Joining them today were two others that Miya had just welcomed. They had literally fallen from the sky and were looking for a home. Miya, being the kind soul that she was, offered them rooms. Of course, they'd have to pay for them. Homura was about to speak with Miya, to ask her if this is okay, when suddenly voices came from outside.

"Come on... Ashikabi-sama, tell me about yourself." An overly energetic voice boomed through the room.

"Call me Minato." A more normal, smooth-sounding voice penetrated the walls of the room.

"Master Minato, tell me about yourself."

"Don't copy Akitsu. It's a bad habit. Just call me Minato."

Silence.

"Minato, you made Akitsu sad!"

"Sorry, Akitsu. I did warn you though. Minato is my name, Not 'Master'."

Silence times two.

"Anyyyyway, Minato, tell me about yourself. You said we should get to know each other, right? Why haven't you said anything about your past?"

"Come now. Do you think I'd be this sexy if I didn't have a mysterious background?"

"Ah! That's right! Excuse my ignorance, oh Sexy One!"

"...Finally, somebody agrees with me! I could get used to being an Ashikabi!"

"Ah... Ano... I... agree as well, Ma-... Minato." A very quiet, embarrassed voice so low that only Miya could hear it.

"...Thanks, Akitsu. I'm happy you at least finally got to call me by my name. You're awesome. I'll have to get you another awesome present later. Let's just have dinner for now."

"Another?! I want a present too!"

"You'll get one. Don't worry."

"Yay!"

Miya facepalmed. She had hoped somewhere deep in her heart that they wouldn't be coming back until later. However, Minato Arisato always knew when there was food. He also brought a new "friend" with him. Joy. Miya had been expecting him to get a legitimate Sekirei sometime or another. Minato appeared to work fast. Miya knew he wouldn't have any problems. Minato had charm, intelligence, courage and his bishounen looks to help him out. It was a mystery as to why he didn't have more Sekirei already. Uzume stopped shoving her face for a second to shoot Miya a smirk. Homura looked questioningly towards Miya. Homura hadn't met Minato Arisato. Sahashi and Musubi, having heard the word Ashikabi, suddenly stood, looking ready for battle.

The door slid open.

Minato was standing there with a McDonalds bag and a couple of fries in his hands. Flanking him were Akitsu and a new girl that looked like some sort of failed attempt to cosplay as a ninja. Minato waved as he shoved the last of the fries in his mouth and sat down next to Uzume. The room was deathly quiet. He gulped and placed the bag at the table. Akitsu sat to his left. Natsu knelt down behind him and placed her head on top of Minato's comfortably. She wrapped her arms around him. Akitsu then took hold of his left arm.

"Hope you don't mind. We stopped at McDonald's for a quick snack. Hope you made food for one more. My new friend up there is Natsu. Say hi, Natsu!"

"Hi!" Her cheery voice and wave seemed to not fit in the otherwise silent room.

"She makes for a good hat. It's hard for her to fall off." He smiled as she mimicked the same expression.

"Glad to be of service!" She happily exclaimed.

Akitsu held tighter onto Minato's arm.

Silence times three.

"Anyway, where is the trashcan? I mean, I've looked and I can't find it anywhere. Do you recycle? If so, then where's the recycling bin? You need a trashcan by the door. It would've made my life way easier," Minato said to Miya. He then turned to look at Uzume. Natsu's head turned with him. Uzume was eating in... her underwear. She was smirking so hard that Minato could tell she could barely contain her laugh."Uzume, that is a smart idea. If you eat in your underwear, then you're less likely to spill food on your clothes. Absolutely brilliant of you. I should try it some time. Might be a little cold, though." Miya cradled her head in her hands in disbelief.

Unable to contain it anymore Uzume burst out laughing. She fell backwards, continuing to laugh on the floor.

"Um, who exactly are you?" Homura finally asked. Minato looked to Homura, with a raised eyebrow.

"Who am I? Who are _you_, good sir? I'm Minato Arisato, the man who will become king of the pirates! And speaking of pirate royalty, where is the trashcan? I really don't think you'll like the smell of french fries to stick around in this house. Not that I mind." Minato said with a shrug. Uzume, now out of her laughing fit, stood to her feet and grabbed Minato's McDonald's bag. She wiped a tear out of her eye as she carried it out of the room.

"I'll help you with that. It was worth it. And to think I was complaining about how unusual the guests here were..." She went out through the door that Minato had (much to Miya's annoyance) left open. She closed it behind her.

"Are you a strong Ashikabi? Let's battle! Two against one are just my odds!" Musubi exclaimed with stars in her eyes. Sahashi tried to hold her back.

"If my Ashkabi had ordered it, I could have already assassinated the two of you in 25 different ways. Do not challenge us so lightly, girl." Natsu's eyes hardened and her voice deepened. It seemed that when combat was involved, the more adult Natsu would come out. Lovely.

The air around Akitsu grew colder. Frost began to form at her fingertips.

Miya then decided to step in.

"No fighting in Izumo Inn. Such actions are forbidden." A dark aura seemed to come over, causing Musubi to back down like a wounded puppy. Miya continued to speak. "This is Minato Arisato. He is an old... friend of mine and also a new tenant who just came to us today. Minato Arisato, this is Homura," She said with a motion towards the silver-haired man. Homura nodded. However, the frown on his face showed his displeasure. Was it something against Minato? Maybe it was just against Ashikabi's? "And these are our new tenants: Musubi and Minato Sahashi."

"Okay. Let me greet the new Ashikabi and Sekirei, then I can greet you. And Miya? If I choose to fight, I'll fight," Minato stood to his feet and stretched. Miya glared at him. Natsu removed her head from on top of his and Akitsu let go of his arm. He walked towards the new Ashikabi and his Sekirei with Natsu and Akitsu still flanking him. Minato walked up to Sahashi and looked up at him in the eyes intensely.

Homura exchanged some quick words with Miya before leaving abruptly. Uzume wordlessly entered to continue gorging herself on food. Miya watched the scene mildly amused.

"I-Is there something I can help you with?" Sahashi asked, weirded out by the other Minato. Minato scrutinized Sahashi's features. Minato held his hand to his chin, looking as if he was trying to figure out a particularly difficult puzzle. Natsu mimicked him. Akitsu stood directly behind Minato, watching with a look of stoic observation, as was the norm.

"Hmmm."

"Hmmm."

"Is there something wrong with my face?" Sahashi asked as he leaned away from the slowly moving closer pair. What was wrong with this guy? Were all Ashikabis so... outlandish?

"I don't think so, Minato. Let me check," said Musubi to Sahashi. She moved over in front of him and assumed the same position as Minato and Natsu. Sahashi began to feel really nervous. Why won't they say anything? Was there something wrong with him? Something wrong with them?

Minato Arisato finally spoke.

"Why the hell are you so tall?"

"E-excuse me?" Sahashi answered, not expecting such an odd question. Minato sighed. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself.

"I've got the body of a 24 year old and I'm only 175 centimeters tall. 175! I only grew 5 centimeters from when I was 17! You're easily over 180 centimeters and there's no way you're older than me! What's your secret?! Why do we share the same name, but not the same height?!" Minato shouted, exasperated. He dropped his head and began to sob a little. Natsu quickly went to his side.

"It's okay. You're tall to us, right Akitsu?" Natsu said comfortingly as she patted his right shoulder. Akitsu nodded as she placed her hand on Minato's left shoulder soothingly. Sahashi almost laughed out loud. That was it? He was scared for a moment the other Ashikabi was going to attack him. Arisato wasn't a bad guy... he just had a complex. Over to the side, Uzume smiled at the scene. She left to her room after finishing up her food.

"He's right, Minato. Why are you so tall?" Musubi said to Sahashi curiously. Sahashi almost face-palmed. He walked over to the table and sat down.

"Blame genetics, not me." Sahashi said tiredly. Musubi sat down next to him and began to question him about the meaning of "Genetics", which Sahashi tried to divert as far away from possible from the idea of how genetics work and how genes are passed down. Minato, having calmed down, stood up tall.

"Height doesn't matter! It's how you use it!' He proclaimed with a new positive outlook on life. He high-fived Natsu and ruffled Akitsu's hair affectionately. Minato scanned the room for Homura and found he wasn't there. The hell? He said he wanted to formally introduce himself to Homura, didn't he? How rude!

"Where's Homura? He's a Sekirei or Ashikbai too, isn't he?" He asked Miya. Minato turned to quickly talk to the surprised Sahashi and excited Musubi, "Didn't you know? This inn is full of unusual people. I'm still surprised that neither of you figured it out. Miya, Uzume, and Homura didn't seem surprised or confused by the talk of Ashikabis and Sekirei. It's not like the plan is really that secret. People just think you're crazy if you start shouting about secret fighting tournaments with super-powered girls. If it is supposed to be secret, it isn't well kept. Just don't worry guys, you're safe here. The security is awesome." Miya simply smiled an ambiguous smile.

"O-okay?" Sahashi said, unable to figure out how to react to his night that kept growing stranger and stranger. Musubi clutched his arm happily at the news, causing him to blush as certain _things_ were pushed into his arm.

"Ooh, this will be so much fun!" Musubi exclaimed joyfully.

"Homura's in his room. I'd _highly_ recommend you don't bother the other guests, Minato Arisato. Unless you don't care much for what happens to your food from now on," Miya said menacingly. Minato shrugged and sat down at his spot at the table. Natsu took the seat to the right of him which was now vacant. Akitsu took the seat to the left of him. There was already food set out for him. Miya must have gone and retrieved it while he was examining the other Minato. Minato decided to see how his Personae were reacting to the bad news.

_[Did she just threaten our food? Witch is gonna burn. All agreed say: Aye!]_

_[[[[AYE!]]]]_

_'Thanatos, stop leading witch-hunts/groups/riots in my mind. It can be quite distracting.'_

_[I can quiet him down. Thanatos! Please be quiet! I'll get mad!]_ Messiah shouted in his soft voice which seemed to quiet down the loud Personae.

_[Oh, were we disturbing you, Messiah? I'm sorry, man. We'll keep it down. Just stay happy, okay?]_ Thanatos actually listened?

_'I've lost control of my mind...__ What the heck goes on with you guys when you aren't speaking with me or shouting loud enough for me to hear it?'_

_[The guy is an absolute demon at poker. And any other game. More than half of us owe him money. Helel and Kohryu collect it for him. They keep strict payment deadlines that can be pushed up if he gets angry. He's a demon of a Messiah.]_

_'Like you're one to talk, Satan. How did you guys even get money in my head?'_

"First of all, screw you. I have the entire city and an infinite money card for food. I'm just eating here to be nice. Second of all," Minato turned his head to look at Musubi and Sahashi, completely ignoring the glare Miya sent at him, "It is very nice to meet the both of you. As we both live in the same building, we should try to work together. Fighting would only tear Izumo Inn apart. Us Minatos have to stick together," Minato said with his eyes shifting to the side at the last part.

"S-seriously? Sure!" Sahashi exclaimed, happy at the unexpected turn of events. They now out-numbered the pair of Sekirei which had been chasing Sahashi and Musubi earlier. Sahashi and Minato could beat them down easily together if the two tried to attack them again! Just when he thought he was out of luck, Sahashi immediately got both a home and a powerful (at least he assumed so) ally. Things were looking up.

The rest of the meal passed quickly. Minato, Akitsu, and Natsu ate like speed demons, despite the fact they had already eaten a bit at McDonalds earlier. Natsu thanked Miya for the food, Akitsu nodded respectfully, and Minato just continued to stare at his now-gone food. That is to say, he was staring at where his food used to be. Miya left to show Musubi and Sahashi to their rooms.

Minato continued to stare at his empty plate.

"Is something wrong, Minato?" Natsu asked worriedly.

"Ah... Was the food bad?" Akitsu asked, finally able to voice her thoughts now that the three were alone. Akitsu always had trouble talking when more than two people were around her. It was easier for her to be quiet. Besides, she didn't feel like speaking earlier. Her master was surrounding himself with potential enemies at every corner. Akitsu wasn't sure if she (and that dumb Natsu) could possibly protect him if the need ever arose. She knew a human like him could never match up with a Sekirei in battle. That's what she was for. She was his loyal slave, his shield, and his protector until she died. After all, what could trash like her ever be to him?

...But he called her a friend. Not just that... a good friend. Did she... did she deserve such praise?

"Yes, there is something wrong... No, the food wasn't bad... You see, the problem is..." Minato raised his head from his plate to stare straight ahead. "There's a time in every man's life when he comes across something absolutely flawless. This is my time. This food... Fuck McDonald's. Miya got me hooked. You want to know what's wrong? There's no more food!"

Minato always overreacted when it came to two things: Food and sleep. He'd include height, but his new "positive outlook" crossed that off the list.

_[Just ask for more. It isn't that hard.]_ Orpheus Telos said practically.

"No! I won't let her win!" Minato accidentally shouted out loud. Akitsu and Natsu paid him no mind. After seeing this dinner scene, they both learned a lot about him. Particularly one single fact:

Minato Arisato was eccentric.

* * *

Miya giggled from outside the dining room. She'd been waiting for that reaction.

"I already have, Minato. I've already won."

* * *

Minato left the dining room to find Miya waiting there for him. Natsu and Akitsu flanked him once more.

"Hi!" Natsu said cheerily.

Miya waved with a strained smile.

"If it's about sleeping arrangements, we're sharing a room. I know how the extra guests put a strain on the amount of available rooms." Minato said with a sigh.

"No lewd acts at Izumo Inn. I cannot allow you to stay in the same room," Miya reminded him with the same strained smile.

"Definition of lewd: inclined to, characterized by, or inciting to lust or lechery; lascivious. Last I checked, sharing a room is not lewd. Even if we share a bed together, then so long as we don't do anything sexual it is not lewd," Minato said matter-of-factly. Miya's smiled broke into a frown.

"That doesn't matter. It is my inn. As long as you live under my roof, you have to listen."

"No."

"I'll kick you out."

"Do it already."

"I'm serious."

"Then why am I still here?"

They stared at each other angrily before Miya broke the silence.

"Damn it, Minato Arisato! Why won't you ever listen to me?! This is my inn, my rules!" She asked angrily. Her whole "dark aura" thing didn't work on Minato. Minato had faced much, much worse. Aside from the Shadows, the eldritch abominations which were the manifestation of the darkness in man, there was also Mitsuru. Miya could never make him fear anything after he faced Mitsuru's Executions. Thus, Miya had to actually get angry.

"I have no reason to. I have absolutely no damn reason to. I didn't before we got here and I certainly don't now that we're here. Why should I listen to you? You've never given me any reason to listen to you. I don't look up to you, I don't fear you, and I don't submit to you. Do you want to know why?" Minato said, his face deadly serious. He came off as harsh, but... He knew they'd get into a fight. They always did. It was the number one reason he didn't want to get found by Miya. It wasn't like he disliked Miya. No, he actually thought of her as a friend. However, he was upset. After all this time, she still didn't understand or change. No, she had grown worse.

"W-Why?" Miya said, caught-off guard by the strange change in character for Minato. Then she remembered. It had been too long. She'd forgotten one particular aspect of Minato. He hated, absolutely hated, being reprimanded for his actions. It always resulted in a fight. When provoked into a fight, Minato could get ahead of himself. Natsu and Akitsu backed away. They had not seen this side of him before. They... didn't know what to think.

"You're fake. You've always been fake. I don't even feel like your words are your own half the time."

"Fake?"

"Yes. Don't play dumb. You hide yourself," Natsu winced, "You hide your emotions. You hide your pain. I can see it in you. _**It**_ won't let me stop seeing what you're hiding. I felt it in Akitsu before I even met her. But you... It didn't used to be there. No, you still hid yourself, but at least you could open up to me whenever you needed to. I listened to you whenever you opened up. Now you hide behind this "peaceful but strict innkeeper" persona. However, I know what you want more than anything else. How could I ever listen to somebody who wants that? Snap out of it and get a grip. Then tell me to listen to you." Minato walked past Miya and started heading towards the stairs. A chillingly cold voice came from behind him.

"You don't see anything. You don't know anything. You don't understand anything, Minato. Don't you dare insult me like this. I've changed. I'm no longer the little girl from long ago. I don't have to and won't put up with your behavior."

Minato smiled.

"You finally dropped the Arisato. I can tell you're upset. 'Sparring match' tomorrow. Right at the crack of dawn. I'll show you how much I understand. Then, finally, we can settle things, my 'Queen'." Minato turned and bowed before leaving. Natsu and Akitsu followed him as he walked up the stairs to their room. He heard Miya stomp really loud. She was very angry. Who could blame her? Maybe he didn't know her circumstances, but he knew that there was never a good excuse to want _that._

_'Well, it's not like I don't understand. After all...'_

Under his breath, Minato added, "There was a time when I wanted _that_ more than anything too."

* * *

Matsu sat in front of her screens with a big bag of popcorn.

"Best. Show. Ever," She whispered.

She stared at her screen for a few seconds longer before she switched over to her anime website. The new episode of Mahou Shoujo Piru-chan just came out!

* * *

Minato lay on his futon.

"Goodnight, Natsu."

A ceiling tile slid away to reveal the her face. She had chosen that spot directly above Minato in case anybody tried to sneak in and assassinate Minato. She'd get the drop on them. Literally. Also, it was her right as a ninja to get the ceiling spot.

"Goodnight, Minato. Goodnight, Akitsu."

Akitsu moved over to a spot Minato had set up next to his bed on the floor. He had specifically bought an extra roll-up futon so she wouldn't have to sleep with him. He'd picked it up on the way back from McDonald's and had Natsu ninja-carry it up to their room. Since he winged her, she hadn't fallen once. Maybe this was a sign of something good. Or, perhaps, all her clumsiness was building until the point where something extremely tragic would happen. Who knows?

"Goodnight, Natsu. Goodnight, Minato."

"Goodnight, Akitsu."

They all tried to sleep.

_[WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING?! TWO GIRLS IN THE BEDROOM! YOU'RE A WASTE OF SPACE!]_

_'Shut up, Mara. I'm being gentlemanly.'_

_[When has that ever gotten anybody laid?!]_

_'All the time. In England. Should work in Japan too.'_

_[You're hopeless.]_

"Hey... Minato? Would... would you get mad if, say, hypothetically, I was fake too? Would you hate me if I was hiding something? Hypothetically, that is." Natsu's nervous voice came from the ceiling. Minato sighed.

"No. I wouldn't be mad. I'm not mad because Miya is fake. Everybody wears their own mask. I know that. It's just... Miya is different. What she's hiding will only destroy her. I guess... I'm worried for her in that regard. She used to be able to open up to me whenever she felt in pain. I was bound to bring this up sooner or later. Part of me hoped to put it off as much as I could. And it's not like I don't listen to her because I hate her. I don't listen to most people. I've decided to go my own path in life. I don't want to be controlled or manipulated. This Sekirei plan... I chose this. That's what makes me different from every other Ashikabi. They get swept up into this and struggle under MBI. I choose my fate. Miya doesn't understand that about me. That's why she gets so upset. I live life by doing what I choose, not by what I'm told." Minato said as he stared at the ceiling.

_[That's... not right. Sometimes in life... we don't get a choice. Sometimes... we have things we need to do even if we don't choose them. Minato is living your life like really that good? You have to take responsibility for your own actions, even if you don't want to. Living like this... it's like you're trying to throw away all your responsibility. People will get hurt if you're like that. You could at least listen to Miya, even if she's being... a bit fake. Her rules aren't meant to manipulate you. Besides, what you're saying makes no sense. You'd listen to her if she wasn't fake, but then again you still wouldn't listen to her rules because of the fact you don't want to? Can you even hear yourself?]_

_'Messiah, I don't need your preaching.'_

_[You're misguided... and you can't see it. Insanity isn't your problem, Minato. You just don't get it. I just hope that you can be caught before you crash.]_

"...Really? It's okay? You wouldn't be mad?" Natsu's voice sounded slightly cheerful. Minato sighed heavily. He just wanted to go to sleep.

"Of course. I... wore many masks once. I was probably the fakest person you'd ever meet, yet you'd never know it. However, my being fake never hurt anyone. I was able to help people because of it. I saved lives from devastation and destruction later on in life. Being fake is not bad... Unless you're hiding your pain... unless you're hurting yourself and others. I was once hurt deeply and nearly killed by someone fake, someone two-faced. I will never tolerate being fake for a bad reason. If you're in pain, share it. If you want to cry, do it. When you seal it inside yourself... you fester and rot on the inside. That's what Miya is doing. I can't listen to her while she's like this, not even halfway. I don't know if what she is saying are her words... or somebody else's." Minato said tiredly.

"What do you mean "somebody else's"?" Natsu asked curiously. Minato took a moment to compose himself. He didn't know why he was saying all this stuff to his Sekirei, but he couldn't stop himself. He needed to say it to somebody, anybody. The words needed to leave his lips and go out into the open air.

"I asked MBI what Miya's address was so I could stay away from it when I first came to this city. They gave it to me in a dossier. In that dossier was a little bit of information I couldn't stop thinking about. Miya was married... and her husband died. She's most likely... not living her life. She's living hers and her husbands'... And she wants it all to end deep in the core of her being. She's given up. She's given up on everything. The Miya I knew... would never give up. She wouldn't let me walk away after speaking to her like that. She'd chase me down and pull me out of bed and smack me." Minato said with a faint smile.

_[You could be wrong.]_

_'I'm not, Orpheus Telos.'_

_[Do you ever think you are?]_

Minato fell asleep ten minutes later.

Natsu fell asleep fifteen minutes later.

Akitsu did not. She could not sleep. What was it her master had "felt" in her before he met her? Akitsu didn't know. Akitsu also couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if her master had not picked her up when she did. Would she have a different master? Would that master be as kind as Minato or more horrid than she imagined? Would that master treat her like the trash she knew herself to be? Once again, Akitsu didn't know. She turned her head to look at her sleeping master, her sleeping Ashikabi. She didn't know what it was she felt towards him. Love? Devotion? Either way, Akitsu knew one thing in her heart. The most precious person to her in the entirety of the world was sleeping in the same room as her. And it wasn't Natsu.

She also worried for her master.

* * *

Minato was surrounded in a blanket of whiteness.

Fog. There was fog everywhere. He was dreaming, of course. He'd had enough strange dreams to know when he was no longer in the waking world.

In the fog was a silhouette of a woman.

"Oh, score! I call dibs on the bishounen Ashikabi!" Her cheery voice echoed through the fog. Minato scratched the back of his head.

"Hey, hey. I'm right here. And how can you even tell through the fog?" Minato said with a sigh.

"I created it! Anywho, just sit tight, 'kay? I'll find ya' and be your Sekirei in a heartbeat!"

"Umm, okay, bu-"

The dream suddenly ended as Minato's vision faded to whiteness.

* * *

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

It was that cute scream that broke into Minato's ears before he felt a sudden impact on his chest. His eyes shot open in a flash to see what could have possibly attacked him!

What he found on top of him was a teary-eyed Natsu, staring down at him. Her face was close and she was blushing like mad. Their noses were nearly touching. She must have fallen from the ceiling. Her body had literally crashed down on him. Her left knee was a centimeter away from hitting his balls (THANK GOD!) and her right knee was over to the right of his right leg. Her palms were pressed against the ground on either side of Minato's head. The girl had fallen asleep in her clothes. Minato, on the other hand, was in just a plain white t-shirt and black boxers.

Minato felt something soft in his hand, like a marshmallow.

"So-Sorr-" Natsu tried to apologize.

He squeezed once.

"Kya!" She let out a cute squeal.

Twice.

"Mi-Mina-" She managed to almost say his name.

Three times.

Natsu couldn't even say anything anymore.

Each time he squeezed, Natsu's face progressively grew redder and redder until it looked like she was about to pass out.

Ah... He was groping her.

_[[[[YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSS!]]]]_

Minato felt success, that feeling of having done something right with his life. Of course, now he was starting to wonder if he was focusing on boobs too much. There was also the lips (the facial ones which one could kiss, of course. Pervert.) and ass.

_[I'm all for the 'ass' thing, Minato.]_

_'Satan? Is that why you've been quiet?'_

_[Boobs aren't my cup of tea. That's all. I like my junk **in** the trunk.]_

_'Did you just- Never mind. You're Satan, after all.'_

_[Hell yeah I am.]_

Minato pushed Natsu off to the left of him gently.

"Good morning and thanks, Natsu. You just helped me to discover I was too focused on just one thing. I have much to think about now," He said calmly, despite the fact he felt his own face heating up. Natsu was on the floor panting, as if she had just done something strenuous.

"G-good morn-morning... Minato. I-I... just... wanted to wake you up before... your spa-sparring match.. Gl-glad to be of service," She said with a weak smile.

Minato felt a tug on his shirt from his right side. He turned his head to find Akitsu staring at him. She had slept in her normal robe except without the chain. Minato wondered where she could have possibly put the chain.

"Good morning, Akitsu. I'm sorry if we woke you," Minato said with a smile. She silently grabbed his hand and placed it on her right breast. She held it in place there, as if she was trying to stop him from removing his hand.

_[Two for one! I had my doubts about you, but it appears you were right, Minato! Being a gentleman works!]_

_'Th-thanks... Mara.'_

Akitsu's face blushed up slightly. She seemed unsure of herself.

"A-Akitsu?" Minato asked, not sure how to take this development. Was she feeling jealous? Was this a sign that she was moving past the "slave" stage and into the "winging" stage?

Akitsu shook her head and removed his hand.

"Why... did I do that?" She whispered to herself as she turned away, staring at her hand she had used to grab Minato's.

Minato stood to his feet. He looked out the window. It was almost dawn. He had to get ready to spar. He was quite frankly surprised nobody had come running into his room when Natsu screamed. Isn't that what's supposed to happen in these types of situations? Somebody (most likely a female) runs in to find the harem protagonist groping one of his harem, calls him a pervert, and then the harem protagonist has to explain it was a misunderstanding. That's a situation he saw in stuff like Campione!

Then the door opened quickly.

It was Uzume and Homura.

"What's going on? Is everybody okay?" Homura quickly asked.

Then he noticed that Minato was just standing there in his boxers while Natsu lay on the floor blushing and Akitsu turned away.

Minato waved.

Uzume pulled a camera seemingly out of nowhere and began to take pictures rapidly. Homura glared at her. Minato turned to the side, posing for her. What he didn't catch was that Uzume was taking pictures of Natsu, who was still blushing profusely. After about twenty seconds, Uzume put away the camera and walked away, fist-pumping in victory as she did so.

"You're... sure you're alright?" Homura asked uneasily as he turned to leave.

Minato nodded.

"Yeah, we're fine. Speaking of which, we need to talk, mister. I never got to have the whole 'how do you do and shake hands' with you. Just let me find my pants and we can get straight to doing that. C'mon, pants! Where'd you go?!" Minato said as he looked around the room.

Homura laughed nervously as he exited the room while Minato was distracted. Homura needed sleep.

* * *

In the other room, Minato Sahashi could not move.

Why?

He was being used as a body pillow by Musubi. He was blushing like a madman.

He wasn't ready for this! Didn't she have her own room?!

What would the other Minato do in this type of situation? He was an Ashikabi too, right? Surely he must have some way to deal with it! Sahashi steeled his resolve to ask Minato Arisato for advice later since were allies, so it was okay to ask for help!

Musubi tightened her grip on his arm, pushing his hand between her thighs. He was touching places he shouldn't be touching! He was too inexperienced! What was he supposed to do in this situation?!

"Help!" He whispered, barely loud enough for even himself to hear. He felt like he was going to pass out!

* * *

Minato Arisato raised his wooden sword with both hands, taking a traditional kendo stance.

He was facing Miya.

And he found his pants.

Akitsu and Natsu watched from the sidelines. Uzume was in her room with the pictures she took and Homura went to sleep. To Minato's knowledge, Sahashi and Musubi were still asleep. There were sparring in the yard of Izumo Inn. Since it was the yard, did the "no-fighting rule" still apply? Or did Miya just not care?

"Are you sure you wish to simply use a wooden sword? I'm using a steel one, after all," Miya said with hardened eyes. Minato merely shrugged in response.

"Sorry I have to use your training sword. If I used _my_ sword, I'd cut your sword in two. That would just be expensive and unnecessary. I'll even not use my Personae. It's not necessary against you. Now come at me. Show me how sincere you can be," Minato said as he smirked.

"You... cocky idiot. I'm not the same weak girl I once was!" Miya shouted as she charged at him with her sword.

Within a instant, she was in attack range. She brought her sword in a horizontal arc, intending to knock him out with the back side of the sword and end it immediately. It didn't need to go on for that long. She knew she was stronger. She was always stronger. All it would take was a light tap on the he-

Her sword was stopped by the wooden sword.

"Impressive. You've improved slightly."

"H-How?!" She asked, unable to comprehend what just happened.

"I lied. I _did_ use a quick Rakukaja on this sword to improve its defense. So, now it's like a steel sword." Minato smiled as he held her off with his wooden sword. He pushed her off and the two took the stances as they slowly circled around each other. Miya was cautious. She knew Minato was strong. In fact, she'd never won against him once when he fought seriously. However, that was in the past! She was stronger now!

Miya went in for another attack.

She came at him with a vertical slash from above, but he parried it. She thrust her sword at him, but he sidestepped it. She even aimed for his legs, but he jumped. He kicked her in the face in midair and sent her back a few feet. Damn it! Why wasn't she doing anything to him?! Wasn't she stronger?!

"I take that back. You're weaker. You may be faster and stronger, but you're weaker. Your blows are simply meant to overwhelm the enemy with your power and speed. You haven't fought anybody anywhere near your level the entire time you've been here. Your technique sucks. It's like fighting a toddler with a gun. _And_ you have absolutely nothing to fight for," Minato looked over the inn. "I retract that statement. You have the inn and the people inside it. However, do you even fight for them?"

Miya readied her weapon once more.

"Who are you to talk? What do you fight for? What makes you stronger?" Miya asked coldly, tightening her grip on her weapon so much that her hands began to hurt.

"I am Minato Arisato, of course. I fight for... well, I fight for myself, my Sekirei, and all my friends who would be disappointed if I were to die. I can't let anybody down. I can't let myself down. If I go out, it will be with a bang so great that it changes the fate of the world. What makes me stronger? My friends... and my will. You'd have good friends too if you would share what you're feeling with people instead of wallowing in your festering emotions. Your husband died. You never even told me about him or mentioned his name, let alone talk about how his passing made you feel. And I thought I was your friend," Minato said.

Miya's fury exploded as she sprung forward at a lightning speed, bringing her sword down with the edge facing Minato this time. Minato brought up his sword to block, but her sword bit deeply into the wood. They remained there with Miya trying to finish up the reinforced wood while Minato held her sword with his.

"Shut up and fight me!" Miya shouted in his face. She gripped her weapon even harder and pushed her weapon towards him with all her will.

The wood sword snapped in half. The broken half was sent flying into the air as small pieces of wood still hung in the air, seemingly moving in slow motion.

Minato shifted to the side to stop his head from being cut in half.

Miya's sword went straight down his right arm, slicing off his sleeve and a layer of skin from the shoulder to the wrist as it passed. Pools of blood quickly formed and then spilled off his arm. It was an extremely nasty cut. The underlying flesh was exposed out for all the world to see.

"Minato!" Natsu and Akitsu both exclaimed in worry. Minato held up his left hand to stop them from coming closer.

Blood dripping from his arm, Minato looked at Miya, who was stunned by the amount of damage she just did. For some reason, she'd never expected to hurt him. Everytime they fought in the past, her sword slashes never did any damage. It made Minato seem invincible. In her rage, she had forgotten that.

"But... you... You are..." She couldn't even finish her statement: _'But you are invincible.'_

"Surprised? I'm not using a Persona that makes me immune to your attacks and the Omnipotent Orb that I once had was lost before we even got in the ship, remember? I'm completely vulnerable to your attacks. I won't hide behind something that makes me invincible for this fight. I'm trying to show you something. I'm not invincible," He dropped the remains of his sword and punched Miya in the stomach with his left fist. Her eyes widened in pain as spit flew out of her mouth. She dropped her sword to the ground. She felt as if she couldn't respond to his attacks defensively.

"I do see what your feeling."

He sweep-kicked her, causing her to fall to the grass. Why wasn't she moving? Normally, she'd have reversed it or even dodged. But... she felt like this was something that needed to happen.

"I do know what your feeling."

He kicked her sword aside. There was almost no need to.

"I do understand how your feeling."

He went down and straddled her abdomen, pushing down her arms before she could get back up. She got back her will to fight and kicked furiously and struggled, but he held tight despite how much his right arm hurt. This wasn't even a fight. If he had really fought Miya at her top form, then she would have nearly killed him with technique alone. No... this was pitiable. He felt like he was punishing a small child.

"Because I felt the same way once."

She stopped struggling. It all finally hit her. Neither of them had fought their best. This was a sparring match and Minato held true to that. Miya had been out for blood... because she couldn't face the truth. She couldn't face the dark emotions inside her being revealed to the outside world.

"I never told you, did I? When I was young, my parents died, leaving me all alone in the big, scary world. At first, I couldn't believe it. They'd been alive just not too long ago. How could they die? How could they leave me alone? Then, I was depressed. What would I do next? They were the only family I had in the world that cared for me. None of my distant relatives wanted to be stuck with the traumatized kid that watched his parents die. I began to think it didn't matter if I lived or die. Afterwards, I grew angry. I cursed everything I could, destroyed everything. Nobody helped me. People actually had the gall to make fun of the fact my parents were dead. They _laughed_ at me like I was some big, dumb clown. They pushed me down, grinded me beneath their feet. I fought back.

"Every day, I returned home with my face swollen and covered in blood. Every day, I fought and then cried myself to sleep at night. I never told anybody how I felt. I shut myself off from the world and hid whenever I could. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. In my foster home was a gun to be used in case of emergencies. I stole the key for the safe containing it and took it out. Do you want to know what I did next?" Minato asked Miya with a new, gravelly quality to his voice.

Miya nodded as tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. The initial image she had of Minato was so very, very wrong. He was... He had faced more pain than she ever imagined he did. It was so... unexpected. Minato looked like he was in such pain... A teardrop fell on Miya's cheek. Minato was crying.

"I... loaded the gun with one bullet. I only needed... one. I turned the safety off, just like I had practiced so many times. Then... I... I stuck the gun to the side of my head. I was going to leave... To be with Mom and Dad... I gave up on living. I gave up on the world. I gave up on myself. What use was there living in such an awful world? In a world where... where those you love could get taken from you in a flash and people would go so far as to laugh at you for being misfortunate. In a world where people just fucking pissed on your parents' graves in front of you. I hated it all. I hated everything. I tried to run away in the only way that a weak person could have.

I pulled the trigger... There was a loud bang and then... and then... nothing. The bullet had been a blank. My hearing was slightly damaged in my right ear, but other than that, I... was alive. I fell to the ground in shock of the fact I had almost done it. I was alive. I wept, overcome with joy. I was alive. In the end, I had been scared of... dying. Even if I thought I had wanted it, I still feared it. Right now... you're so close to that point it scares me. You hide like I once did. I heard about your husband before I ever met you in this city. Once I did... I could see it. I could see myself in you. If you hurt, then don't hide it until you can't take it anymore. Just... share it with me before you make a mistake. No matter how you feel, you really don't want to die in the core of your being. Please understand that. That's all I'm asking." Minato said as he let go of Miya and stood up.

He began to walk back to the inn.

He had nothing more to say.

Miya realized what just happened. She'd realized what Minato had just done. Miya slammed her fist against the ground. She lost. She punched the ground again. She lost again! Her eyes began to sting. She sniffled. She clenched her fists so hard that her nails bit into the flesh of her palm and drew blood. Her breathing grew faster, her heart rate climbed higher.

_'Damn it. Damn it, Minato Arisato. Why? Why do you get to cry? Why the hell is it always about you? I never got... I never got to say my piece! What about my suffering, my pain?! You never listen to me, you never even ask me to tell you! Even when you act like you care, you only focus on yourself! Who says you're the hero?! Who says you're the main character?! I.. want to be able to cry. I want to be the one to tell my story, not have you guess at it vaguely like some idiot! Minato Arisato... You're like me more than you know. You've forgotten what it means to be weak... To be powerless. Was your crying even real?_

_I was wrong about you, Minato Arisato. You never changed from the last time I saw you before we left. This is who you are now: A talented actor, a man who wears many masks, a manipulative sociopath. I lost, Minato Arisato. I never got you to reveal what was hurting you. Because I've known you long enough to know that there is no way your childhood was weighing you down. When I first met you... you were a different man. A better man. What made you into what you became?'_

* * *

Matsu dried her eyes with a handkerchief.

"Damn you for being so emotional! Oh, and powerful. Dang, Minato Arisato. I hope I never get on your bad side. I'm switching to watch the other Minato and Musubi snuggling. I need to see something happy now."

Matsu switched her eyes to a different screen.

* * *

"That was amazing! You're so strong! I can't believe it!" Natsu exclaimed as they walked away. Minato had not only just fought an incredibly powerful opponent easily (Natsu had trouble even seeing their movements!). Akitsu kept staring at his wound, looking as if she was hating herself. She'd let him get injured. That was what she was feeling.

"Thanks, Natsu," He said to the ninja before speaking to Akitsu, "Don't worry about my injury. I won't die from it." He said with a smile.

Akitsu's expression worsened.

_[Wrong word choice. Shouldn't have brought up the idea of you dying. Makes people all moody and shit. I know that for certain.]_

_'Be quiet, Thanatos.'_

"Don't worry, sensei! I have knowledge in medicine!" Natsu said cheerfully.

Minato cocked an eyebrow.

What did she just call him?

"Did you just call me sensei? And why does a ninja have knowledge in medicine?" He asked, not really sure how to react to the name.

Natsu nodded.

"Well, a ninja knows poison fairly well. In all actuality, there isn't much difference between medicine and poison. So all I need to do is just make a few adjustments to a poison. Nextly, yep. I'm declaring myself to be your disciple! You're stronger than me. Thus, I need to learn from you... In more ways than one. I need to get strong enough to protect you." Though she started happily, her expression grew more and more serious. Minato sighed. Why did he get looked up to as a sensei? Shouldn't she just be happy to not have to worry about him? Who said he needed protecting?

_[You should politely decline this offer of 'medicine. Simply heal yourself.]_

_'Hellel, that would be rude.'_

_[Also... stupid.]_

_'Hey, it might work. If it doesn't, then I'll use Salvation.'_

_[...Fine.]_

"Oh, and Natsu?"

"Yes, sensei?"

"Nice ass, my new disciple. You too, Akitsu."

_'See? I can diversify my interests, Satan.'_

_[Truly, you are a great Wild Card.]_

Natsu blushed up quickly and turned away, not sure how to respond. Akitsu blushed slightly, but Minato noticed she walked in front of him the rest of the trip back to their room. Interesting. Apparently, Natsu already had ingredients for medicine in case of emergency. How she got them up in the ceiling with her, Minato did not want to know.

* * *

**Thirty Minutes Later**

* * *

Minato knocked lightly on the door of Sahashi's room with his bandaged arm. He left Akitsu and Natsu. The latter decided to make breakfast. Luckily, Miya had bounced back twenty minutes ago and was guiding Natsu in the ways of the kitchen. Akitsu, who normally stayed close to him at all times, went and followed Natsu in order to learn the ways of the kitchen. Minato had insisted, saying it was good training for any woman who wished to become a wife. It was a bit sexist and made him feel like a manipulative bastard, but he needed to remove her from the situation.

He was hoping Sahashi was the typical harem protagonist.

Minato had even borrowed Uzume's camera.

He waited a few seconds before knocking lightly again.

There was no response. Minato chucked slightly. This was going to be fun. He opened the door slowly with a big grin on his face.

Sahashi was there on the futon. Musubi was affectionately using him as a body pillow. Oh, so affectionately. Sahashi, whose face was as bright as a ripe tomato, looked over to Minato and mouthed a single word.

_"Help."_

Minato bowed before taking a quick set of three pictures (possible blackmail if he ever needed it and something to laugh at). Sahashi's face grew more and more distressed as Musubi pulled Sahashi's arm closer and closer to her. Minato then made the "O-K!" sign with his hand before gently walking to Sahashi's side.

He crouched down beside Sahashi and whispered, "Why don't you just, you know, give her a wake-up kiss or something?"

_[That's my boy. Always thinking about the important things first.]_

_'Thanatos...'_

_[As for me, I feel disappointed in you, Minato. How could you ever allow your Personae and yourself to become such perverts? You're disgusting.]_

_'Your words hurt the most, Alice. As always. Quite frankly, I'm surprised you choose now of all times to make such a comment. What have you been doing?'_

_[I beat Messiah at cards.]_

_'...Is that all you guys do in my head?'_

_[Not by a longshot. Why, just the other day we went bowling. It was fun.]_

"What are you saying?! I can't do that! We... we barely know each other!" Sahashi whispered back harshly. Minato cocked an eyebrow. Really? That was his thought process?

"Look, buddy, I don't see where your coming from. Because _she_ doesn't seem to think that. Any other guy would have totally done something with the super-hot girl in their bed using them as a teddie. I mean, I probably wouldn't because I'm taking the English route of being a gentleman (which totally works) and restraining myself. Why don't you take a risk?", Minato shrugged, "Just kiss her on the forehead or something. She'd only love you more," Minato whispered in reply.

"I... I don't know, Minato. I... can't. I'm... not experienced with girls," Sahashi whispered nervously.

"Soldiers gain experience by getting thrown into the battlefield in times of war, tall Minato. This. Is. War. You'll gain tons of experience if you just try to go with it," Minato whispered convincingly.

Sahashi shakily nodded, his face as red as ever.

He slowly and unsteadily brought his lips closer to Musubi's forehead.

Slowly.

Almost there.

Just about touching.

"BREAKFAST IS READY!" Natsu burst in the door wearing an apron. Musubi's head shot up, nearly hitting Sahashi (who seemed remarkably fast at retreating his lips from their location).

"FOOD!"

Both Minatos fell back on to the tatami mats as Musubi and Natsu ran out of the room, the two of them having seemingly become fast friends all of a sudden. Apparently, food binded people together.

"I'm going to have to get used to this, aren't I?" Sahashi asked tiredly.

"Yep," Minato Arisato replied.

"Dang it. I just wanted to go to college in the big city! None of this would've happened if I just passed the entrance exam!" Sahashi exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Hey, you're making it sound like you didn't enjoy Musubi clinging to your body. Didn't you?"

Sahashi sighed.

"...I... did... You're right."

"I think we'll be great friends, you and I. Together we will make this inn our own. I'll even teach you how to be as charming and manly as I am. Soon, you'll be controlling your Sekirei instead of letting them control you."

"Uh... Thanks... Minato," Sahashi said, reminding himself that Minato was a bishounen in terms of appearance.

"Try to be more enthusiastic. You'll need more lessons if you want to survive getting more Sekirei."

Minato Arisato made a point so valid that Minato Sahashi found himself agreeing with him. He'd need all the help he could get if he were to get two or possible even three Sekirei.

"I'm screwed," Sahashi whispered to himself.

_[Dude. Tell him he needs to be the one screwing for once.]_

_[Brilliant. Thanatos, you ought to write this man's script.]_

_'Mara, shut up. Kohryu, silence them.'_

**_[On it.]_**

"Hey, Minato Sahashi. You need to learn to be the one screwing here."

_'Did I really just say that?'_

Sahashi just put his pillow over his own face.

* * *

Ryoji stared at the mass of metal before him.

It was irritating.

This was taking longer than expected.

At the worst, he'd have to call his lazy brother for assistance. Ryoji hoped it would never come to that.

"Sorry, Minato. You're going to have to wait a little longer. Just please don't get fatally injured. You might anger _**it**_ and lose control."_  
_

Ryoji spoke to nobody, but he hoped...

He hoped he was heard.

* * *

A/N: The word count is OVER 9000!

What, 9000?! That's impossible!

Well, it is possible...

Put away the Omake idea. I'll save it for a shorter chapter. Also got a fun couple of Omake ideas for the Personae. Anyway, we see a mysterious new Sekirei in a dream, actual character depth for Minato, Miya and Natsu, a bit more for Akitsu, and a fun couple of conversations between the two Minatos. Also, Norn, Odin, Susano-o and Surt were mysteriously absent from this chapter. I dunno where they went. It's not like I forgot or anything...

Anyway, we have a chapter with everything in it. You're welcome. Miya and Minato will have a rematch with both trying their hardest. In case you're wondering why Minato is so strong without Persona, do remember he is lvl 99 and has only been growing stronger since the end of Personae 3. Also,** _it_ **is in him. Should be obvious what **_it _**is by now. If not, then good job, me.

**WINNER OF THE CHOICE OF THE CHAPTER IS:**

...It's a tie between Room of Dark Moon and the Dark Room. Go figure. Guess Ryoji was right about it being cool. So, uh, tiebreaker this chapter. Put in which one you prefer.

If you're wondering where Ryoji is for the Ryoji Note... Twin Judge of Gemini made him depressed with his review.

Ryoji: Why do they have to be so cruel?!

Sssh. It's okay. Uh... one reviewer liked you. Now, where did that review go.

Ryoji: *sniff* You're lying.

No, no! I swear I'm not! I just can't find him or her. Shame on me.

Okay, since I got a buttload of reviews last chapter, it's time for a quick, general answer section.

**GENERAL REVIEW REPLY: **

Minato's Sekirei will not become the Enforceres. Minato leans more toward being Chaotic Neutral than having to actually do something like that. Nyx's appearance came from her SMT incarnation, so it's canon. There is a judge and jury for the Compendium and all godly affairs. I plan on showing that latter. Ryoji has seen the Ryojiventures. He would like to mention that Thanatos is not a crap Persona and should be used all the time. Sahashi's Sekirei will be same as canon. The inn will need an expansion later on.

And... there. Am I done now?

Oh, wait. Does anybody want to draw a cover for this story? PM me if you do. I have an idea of what I want and I'll credit you for it.

Guys... Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon: M1N470 has a trope page. The link is on my profile. Please add to it. Pretty please with Natsu falling from the ceiling and landing on top? You know what else? Celestial Suicide Mage needs a page too. That story is full of tropes.

Anything else?

I'll update CSM later. This fic is just too easy to write for right now.

**Question of the Chapter: **Who's that Sekirei?! (That Minato dreamed of)

**REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW.** Longest chapter I ever wrote. Oh and... Pretty please with Musubi... clinging to you oh so closely?


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